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BREAKFAST, 
DINNER, AND TEA: 

VIEWED 



GAINING NUMEROUS CURIOUS DISHES AND FEASTS OF ALL TIMER 
AND ALL COUNTRIES. 



BESIDES THREE HUNDRED MODERN RECEIPTS. 



Cookery is an art 
Still changing, and of momentary triumph. 
Know on thyself thy genius must depend. 
All books of cookery, all helps of art 
Are vain, if void of genius thou wouldst cook. 

Athen^us. 



NEW YORK : 
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, 

90, 92 k 94 GRAND STREET. 
1809. 






Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the j'ear 1859, by 

D. APPLETON & CO., 

In the Clerk'a Office of the District Court of the United States for the 

Southern District of New York. 

By Transfer from 
U.S.Nava^ Academy 
Aug. 26 1932 



PEEFACE. 

De. Johnson says of Mrs. Carter that she could both 
translate Epictetns, and make a pudding ; and write a 
Greek poem as well as embroider a handkerchief. In 
our own day, there may be found many an active, orderly 
housekeeper, who is also an intelligent, well-informed, 
even accomplished woman. For the entertainment of this 
class of persons, the present work has been compiled. 
While it will be found of great practical utility, it 
aims to be rather more than a mere cook book ; since it 
contains much curious and instructive matter in relation 
to the gastronomic habits and peculiarities of all times 
and all countries. 

It must surely be a matter of interest, while preparing 
dishes to gratify the palates of the present generation, to 
notice what have pleased poets and philosophers, and 
races long past away, as well as to remark the great 
diversity of tastes, among the various nations now existing 
on the earth. 

This work contains. three hundred original receipts of 
a practical nature, suited to the every-day wants of an 



IT % TEEFACE. 



American household. These receipts have been collected 
from experienced housekeepers, and may he relied upon. 
Partaking thus of both a classical and practical character, 
it will form a very appropriate and acceptable present to 
a young housekeeper. 

As poets, though often a half-starved race, have yet 
like other mortals had their favorite dishes, it has some- 
times happened, that warmed by the genial influences of 
a plentiful repast, tliey have made cookery and its acces- 
sories the theme for their muse. And since a good cook 
in preparing an entertainment for guests, first provides the 
substantial, solid food, with side-dishes to tickle the palate, 
and closes with the dessert which is to give a cliarm to 
the whole, — so we, to the solid facts vouched for by 
undoubted authority, have added some side-dishes of 
imaginary feasts, and embellished all with a (7essert of rare 
and peculiar delights from tlie gardens of the Poets. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



IJltEAKFAST 

PAGE 

Brkakfast Considered, '6 

The breakfast hour— Tobias Venner on breakfast — Izaak Walton on tlie 
Angler's breakfast — Our Enfrlish ancestors at breakfast — iJuke of Xorthuinber- 
land, and Queen Elizabeth at breakfiist — Lord Fairfax's orders respecting tiiis 
meal — I'epys at breakfast — Tlie poet liogers and the breakfast party — Miss 
Sedgwick, N. P. Willis,*and Mrs. .Stowe on the same— Practice of Maria Edge- 
worth — Breakfasts in Scotland and America— The favorite dishes of various 
nations mentioned. 

Coffee, Cocoa, and Ciiocolatk, 9 

Lines from Cowper — Introduction of coffee — Pope's fondness for it— Chic- 
ory, and how to detect it in coffee — The preparation of coffee — Cafe au lait — 
Cafed la cremefrappede glace — Dandelion coffee — Cocoa— To prepare choco- 
late after the English, French, and German modes— Francesco Eedi's dislike of 
coffee. 

Bread, 16 

Hules for making wheat bread and yeast cakes— Gallic yeast— To make stale 
bread fresh — Different kinds of meal— Steamed bread— To make Indian, an<l 
rye and Indian breads. — Ithode Island corn bread — Potato bread— Eice bread — 
Apple bread — Trial by ordeal — The "Flatbrod" of the Norwegians— Anecdote 
of Charles XII. of Sweden — The bread-fruit tree — Coronation gifts to the Em- 
perors of Russia. 

Breakfast Cakes, . . . . . , . . . .21 

Breakfast corn cake— Corn bread— Corn cakes— The pancake bell— To 
makft rice, hominy, Indian or buckwheat griddle cakes— liye and Indian grid- 
dle cakes — Muffins — Missouri corn cake — Tortillas— Indian corn biscuit — John- 
ny-cake— Hoe-cake— Cakes of the Arabs — Morning biscuit— Buttered toast- 
Milk toast — " Hot cross-buns '" — Oatmeal cake — Anecdote of bannocks. 



—I) 



VI CONTENTS. 



PA<3B 

Butter, . 27 

Orange county butter — Margarey More on churning — Butter-making charm 
— ^'■£uyd ur''' — To preserve butter— To restore rancid butter — Mode of pre- 
serving it fresh in India — Ghee— Clarified butter of the Arabs — The use of forks 
— Some peculiarities of the Guelphs and Ghibellines. 

Meats, Fish, and Omeleties, . 32 

The Beef-steak Ciub — To cook beef-steak — "Welsh mode of serving it— To 
make sausages— English mutton sausages — Mutton chop — Broiled veal — Grid- 
irons — The I^scurial — Broiled ham and eggs — The Spanish dish, " Grace of 
God " — Broiled pigeons — Veal bewitched— Tripe — Pickled goose — Meat biscuit 
— Pemmican — Liver cheese — Broiled chickens — Broiled fish — The callipeva — 
Indian mode of broiling fish — Preserving fish — Potted shad — Fried, broiled, and 
pickled oysters — Eemark on frogs — To cook them — Queen Elizabeth's brooch^- 
To cook eels — Thomas a Becket's dish of eels — Lines on stewed lampreys — 
Pope's fondness for them — Fried fish — Peruvian chantisa — To detect i)oor eggs 
— EeceUe de la Fondue — Omelette or French egg-cake — Soyei-'s omelette — 
Colored eggs — To cook an ostrich egg — Leigh Hunt on breaktast. 

Call to Breakfast, ........... 43 

Mrs. Sigourney's "Breakfast, come to breakfast" — Charles Lamb on saying . 
grace — Bishop Hall's habit in regard to his meals. 

Cooks and Cookery, .......... 45 

The progress of the culinary art— Eebecca's skill — King of Bithynia's cook 
— Queen of Caria's present to Alexander — Sicilian cooks — Athenreus on the 
chief cook at Athens — Trials of Antony's and Napoleon's cooks— The suicide of 
Yatel — Ke wards conferred upon cooks by various monarchs — Strife between an 
English and French cook — Writers on cookery — Careme, the fiimous cook — 
Louis Eustache Ude on cookery as a science— The principles of cooking — Ef- 
forts of Charles the Second and Prince de Conde in cooking — M. Sover. 



DINNER. 

Dinner Considered, . . . . . . . . . .61 

Ben Jonson's lines to Penhurst — Dinner in general — Dinners of policy — 
Sayings of Lady M. W. Montague and Lady Ilardwicke — Dr. Johnson upon poor 
dinners — The dinner -hour — Luncheon— Roman and English dining-halls — Cis- 
terns in the same— Dining tables — King Arthur's " round table" — Japanese 
and Chinese tables, and Pliny's in the garden of his villa— The dinner-party — 
Selection of guests — Talkers— Boswell and Johnson on conversation at table — 
Caprices of guests — "Well-trained servants — Pepys in search of a cook — Mrs. 
Stowe on the exertions of American women — Ease and calmness in the host 
and hostess — John Hancock's coolness — Lady Blessington's powers of enter- 



CONTENTS. Vll 



PAGE 

talning — Eulos for courses and dishes— Spirit of hospitality illustrated — Eve's 
repast to the Angel — Telemachus' reception of Minerva — An instance of Ara- 
bian hospitality — Burleigh's precepts to his son — Pope and Matthew Greene 
on welcoming a guest — Vulgar hospitality — Invitation to dinner from Thomas 
Moore to Lord Lansdowne. 

Soups, 83 

Making of soups— Nudels — Cooking in a coach — A saying of Beau Brum- 
mel's — Pea, beef, ai^ gumbo soups— Drying okra— Sydney Smith on 'veal-soup 
— Chicken, lamb, flml oyster soups — Soicpe d la Cussy — Turtle and mock-tur- 
tle soups— The turtle— Origin of marking the king's dishes with the cook's name. 

Fish, 90 

Izaak Walton and Sraellie on various fish—Eeceipt for cooking a fish in the 
seventeenth century — Walton's mode of dressing trout and chub— A herring- 
pie— Tradition respecting the red herring — To boll fish — Fish-sauces — Lobsters 
— Dr, Paley — Scolloped oysters— Philip IL of Spain— Oyster-pies— Legend re- 
specting oyster-eating— Chowder — Caviar, fish-maws, botargo — " Stappit- 
heads" — Tiie Apostle's fish— Piroga— The sardine — Tamarind fish — Anchovy 
— To bake fish — Cardinal Fesch and the turbots— Egyptian abhorrence offish — 
Poissardes. 

Meats, 104 

Advice to a cook— To roast or bake meats— Louis XL and the turnspit — 
Eoast beef— The sirloin and 'baron of beef— Eoast venison — A singular spit — 
Eoast mutton— Egyptian custom— Kit-Kat Club— Eoast Veal — A cook's tri- 
umph over the difticulties of veal — Veal cutlet — Commons— Eoast pig — Charles 
Lamb on roast pig — A masterpiece of cookery — Eoast pork — Baked beans and 
pork— Eoast turkey— Saying of Sydney Smith — Eoast chickens — Master late 
at dinner— Eoast goose after both the German and English modes — " Pates de 
foies (7ras"— Eoast ducks— Boiled turkey — Boiled chicken with rice — A Span- 
ish sauce — Eoast partridges — Canadian receipt for cooking game — Snipe — 
Moore's dining-out — To boil meats — A calfs head, boiled — To cure beef— To 
boil corned beef— Dr. Johnson's fovorite dishes — Boiled ham and pork — Anec- 
dote of Charles II. — Scotch aversion to pork — Eoman skill in cooking a pig — 
To pack and salt pork — To cure hams — A flitch of bacon — To cure mutton — 
Boiled lamb or mutton — Dr. Johnson's last dinner at Mrs. Thrale's — To cure 
beeves' tongues — To boil the same — To pickle sheep's tongues — Salt — The 
grand Pannetier — A Christmas pie in 1770 — Chicken pie — Pigeon or veal 
pies — The elfect of pies upon courtiers — Live birds in a pie — A dwarf in a pie 
— An artificial hen — To fricassee chickens — Potted pigeons — " Un roti sans 
pareil " — Carving. 

Vegetables, 132 

Effect of cultivation — The Irish potato — Potatoes "with the bone in '" — The 
sweet potato — Indian corn ; to dry for winter use — Succotash — Green corn 



Vlll CONTENTS. 



PAGB 

cakes, oysters, and dumplings — Anecdote of the Khan of Tartary— Turnips, 
squashes, and onions — The latter among the ancients — Sancho Pauza's prefer- 
ences — Artichokes — Asparagus ; M. Hue's substitute for it — The cabbage and 
the cabbage-palm— Cauliflower, kale, and kohl-rabis—Fi«-«7V''6— Parsnips, 
dandelions, spinach, peas and beans— Fried cucumbers — Fried oyster-plant— 
Salsify toast— To keep celery through the winter— Tomato sauce, and toast, 
and to prepare tomato for winter use — Egg-plant, green melons cooked to re 
semblc it — Mushrooms — Macaroni and rice. 

Salads and Pickles, 1^5 

A Eoman peasant's salad — Sydney Smith's receipt for dressing salads— 
" Moult me iarde, " — Spanish salad— Dressed lettuce — Mustard and cress— Salad 
sauce — Chicken and lobster salads— Kemarks upon pickles— To pickle peaches, 
pears, apples, cherries, plums, cucumbers, beets, cauliflowers, cabbage, nastur- 
tiums, walnuts, butternuts, onions, eggs, and tomatoes — Fepper- Mangoes— 
Higdom — The clove-tree. 

Drinks 155 

Francesco Eedi on wine— Greek poet on drinking the same— To make cur- 
rant, gooseberry, elderberry, parsnip, and raspberry wines— Cleopatra's costly 
drink— Fountains of wine— Whortleberiy wine— " Kirch-wasser " and "mares- 
chino'' — The two secrets — To make metheglin and ginger-beer — Eff"ect of cli- 
mate on drinks— To make raspberry vinegar, imperial, sherbet, lemon water, 
and egg-flip or posset— The thirst of Tantalus— Old English beverages, as " but- 
tered ale," " bristol milk," " la mas ub 7mI,'' orange and wormwood wines, 
ipocras, and sack-posset— Drinking cups— Toasts with Celtic honors— The 
loving cup. 

Dessert, 166 

Desserts of the olden time — " Subtleties ''—Destruction of Troy — The 
"march-pane'' — Quaking custard — Pyramids — Duchess of Kingston's dessert 
— Designs in use in 1745 — Chasse at Herenhausen — Devices in pastry in 1TS7 — 
Confectionery at Queen Charlotte's table. 

Pies, . '. 170 

To make puff-paste — Mince pie, an ode to the same — Apple pie. Lord Dud- 
ley respecting it — Puffets — Menzikoff a pastry-cook — To make the following 
pies, viz : mock apple, jelly, custard, farina, cocoanut, pumpkin, (fresh, dried, 
or grated), peach, cherry, plum, berry, squash, rhubarb, and currant — 
Southey's ode to gooseberry pie. 

Puddings, 179 

Eules for boiling puddings— To make plum-pudding— French prejudice 
against it— English gooseberrj', raspberry, and roly-poly puddings— King 
Arthur's pudding— Apple dumplings— Eemark on Mrs. Carter— Boiled potato, 
and corn puddings— Eich boiled Indian pudding— Date or prune ditto — The 
date and sago-palms— Tapioca and sago puddings (with and without apples) 



CONTENTS. IX 



PAGE 

— ^Whence tapioca is obtained — Baked apple, corn starch, gypsy's batter, co- 
coanut, family, corn-meal, and cracked-wheat puddings — Rice, almond, hom- 
iny, potato, pumpkin, orange, bread and butter, jelly, and applo ditto — Lady 
Bustle's orange pudding — Apple dessert-cako — To make the following creams : 
snow rice, Isabella, Bohemian, white, almond, lemon, and ice — Curds and 
cream— Tlummery — Cocoanut for dessert — Cnariollo le Russo — Spanish Char- 
lotte — Custard — Potato blanc-mange — A southern trifle — Lemon kisses — A 
delicate dessert — Thomson on the fruits. 

Jellies, 197 

To make apple, crab-apple, grape, cranberry, red currant, and four-fruit 
jellies — The grape and pomegranate — To save currant juice when, from mis- 
management, it will not form a jelly — Green and black currant jellies — Cur- 
rants, why 60 called — To make aJso calfs foot, chicken, wine, and dried-apple 
jellies — Apple Florentine — Macaroons — Comfit-boxes — ^Address to guests. 

Table Habits axd Peculiar Dishes of various Natioxs, . . . 204 

Old EnglisJi Living. — Christmas song — Thomson on dinner — Profusion 
at old English tables— The crane and peacock much honored — Peacock " en- 
kakyll " — Dishes for certain days — A carol to the Boar's head — A game pie in 
1-394 — Private dinner in Shakspcare's day — The carte or bill of fare — Lord 
Fairfax's orders to his servants respecting dinner — Pepys' dinners. 

ScottisJb Hospitality. — Customs in some of the families — Profusion at fu- 
neral feasts — Parliamentary restrictions on hospitality — Customs at Highland 
entertainments— Lord Lovat — Diet of the Highlanders of the present day — 
National dishes — Burns' poem to the "haggis " — Receipt for making a haggis, 
by Mrs. Grant, of Laggan. 

Irish Customs.— Four kings of Ireland at dinner — Coshering feasts of the 
old Irish. 

French Entertainment. — Ariamnes' entertainment to his countrymen — 
Gallic cookery — Progress in the arts of the cuisine — Introduction of new arti- 
cles of food; the frog, the snail, and horse-flcsh — Satirical review of the names 
of French dishes. 

Table Ilahits of the Germans. — Family dinners in Hamburg and Berlin 
— Old German hospitality. 

Spanish Hospitality of the present day. — Evening receptions — To make 
olla podrida. 

Old Roman Customs. — Courses at dinner, and favorite dishes — Diomed's 
banquet. 

Articles of food in Italy. 

Grecian Customs.— Mhanxokn practices — Dinner illustrated — Athenian 
dishes — Public meals of Sparta. 

Russian Dinners. — Custom at a dinner-party — Dinner at a restaurant in 
Moscow — Peculiar dislies — The Russian cook. 

Swedish Dishes. 

Dinners in Turkey. 

Dinners among the Circassians. 

Shah of Persia at Dinner. 

A* 



CONTENTS. 



PAOl 

Arah Dishes. 
' Ciisioms in India. — The habits of the Parsces during their repasts — A 
Hindoo meal. 

Siamese Customs. 

A Burmese Dainti/. 

Chinese Dishes. — Chou-chou, balichung, birds' nests, and beche-de-mer. 

Japanese Customs and Dishes. — Serving a repast, tables and dishes. 

Ahyssinian Dinner. 

^^ative Cooking and Eating inthe Pacific Islands. 

Food of the Arctic Regions, 

Savage Food. 

Dinners and Feasts of various Persons, 266 

Coronation feast for the queen of Henry V. — Banquet in Henry VII.'s 
reign at the enthronization of Archbishor "Warhara — Coronation dinner for 
Anne (Boloyn) queen of Henry VIII. — Montezuma at table — The Earl of 
Athol's entertainment to James Y. — Queen Elizabeth's dinners, with the 
feast of the Earl of Leicester at Utrecht — Dinner of James I. to a Spanish 
ambassador— Louis XIV-'s meals and feasts at Versailles — A dinner at Mo- 
licre's — Coronation dinner of Charles II. — Sir Richard Steele at dinner — Din- 
ner at Mr. Sheridan's on "swilled mutton " — Madame De Staiil and her din- 
ners — Napoleon I. and Josephine at dinner — Dinners of M. De Talleyrand — 
" General Washington's dinners in camp ; also his style of living during his pres- 
idency — General Marion's entertainment to a British officer — Eev. Sydney 
Smith's account of a certain dinner — General Urquiza's hospitality to Ameri- 
can officers and gentlemen — Sancho Panzaat Camacho's wedding-feast — Eejoic- 
ings upon the New Year's coming of age. 



TEA. 

Tea Considered, 299 

Lines from Cowper — The Voide of Henry VII.'s time — Tea in fiishionablo 
life, and as a meal — Dutch country tea-table — Evening receptions — The intro- 
duction of tea into England and America — Different varieties — Dr. Kane and 
Dr. Johnson on its virtues — Modes of steeping it — Practice in Germany — Syd- 
ney Smith and the tea-kettle. 

Tea-Biscuits and Cakes, 303 

Soda biscuits, strawberry biscuit, patent tea-cakes, rye drop cakes, and 
nisk — The following cakes: sponge, pound, rich fruit, silver, golden, federal, 
lemon, delicate, mountain, cocoauut, cup, jelly, cake without eggs, plain, nelly, 
and raisin ; pound, almond, drop, loaf, tea, ginger, black, soda, and cream- 
Motto at Newstead Abbey— Sally Lunn and Siblett cakes— Mrs. Grundy's cake 
— The nutmeg — Vanity balls — Cookies — Ginger-nuts — Tea ginger-cakes — Mo- 
lasses cookies — Krullei's — Olecokes. 



CONTENTS. XI 



PAGE 

Preserves, 314 

Lines from Tusser — Directions for the use of air-tight cans in preserving 
fruits — To preserve strawberries — Saying of Izaak "Walton respecting them — 
Dr. Johnson's partiality for berries — To preserve cherries, gooseberries, grapes, 
raspberries, blackberries, peaches, pears, quinces, currants, and pine-apples — 
The pine-apple — To preserve citron or watermelon, pumpkin, oranges, and 
plums — Stewed prunes, baked quinces, and boiled pears — To bottle gooseber- 
ries and currants — Whence various fruits are obtained — Fruits in Henry 
VIII/s time — Thomson on various fruits. 

Spppehs and Fetes, 322 

"Triall of Feasting" — Suppers of Alexander the Great — Anecdote of Ju- 
lias Ca?sar — Eival feasts of Antony and Cleopatra — Suppers of the Count de 
Foix in 1350 — The ante-suppers of the Earl of Carlisle — Entertainments in 
Charles I.'s reign — A May-day collation to Christina, queen of Sweden — 
Dean Swift's reckoning with his guests — A fete given by the Prince Eegent 
at Carleton House — A surprise-banquet to La Fayette — Sydney Smith's su{)- 
pers — Evening meal of Cedric the Saxon — The feast of the Bermecide. 

Conclusion, . . 337 



PART 1. 



BREAKFAST, 



CONTEXTS. 



1. Breakfast Coxsidered. 

2. Coffee — Cocoa — Chocolate. 

3. Breads. 

4. Breakfast-Cakes. 



o. Bctter. 

Cj. Meats — Fi.sh — Omelettes. 
7. Call to Breakfast. 
S. Cooks a.nd Cookery. 



BREAKFAST. 

When drcftHcd, I to the yard rtqciir, 
And Ijrciikfast on the pure, fnt.sh air; 
I'.ut thoufrh this choice Casliiian clior 
Keep botli tlie Iiciid and Ktorriacli dear, 
For reaHon.H Ktron;,' cnoii^^li ff)r ine, 
I mend tlie incal wltJi toast and tea." 

When tho refinccl poet, Montgoiru^'y, thus admits the necessity 
of refreshing himself upon something more liearty than the pure, 
fresh air, it is not strange that beings of less poetic mould sliould 
find a substantial meal in the early morning a matter of essential 
importance. The hour for taking this first meal varies ev(!n 
among people of the same nation, as much as do tlieir (.ireuin- 
stanccs and tastes. The industrious, hardy farmer who rises Ixv 
fore the sun, having performed his wonted tasks, sits down to his 
breakfast at five o'clock with a strong appetite, 'j'lie enterprising 
citizen, not called forth quite as early by his business, yet still 
desirous of making each day as profitable as possible, breaks his 
fast at six or seven. The professional man whose hours of labour 
may have encroached on those devoted to sle(!p, rises later in llie 
day; and eight, or it maybe nine o'clock, will fnid him with 
weary head, and but little appetite, sipping his cup of coflee. 
Ten is considered an early hour by the fashionable lady ; the lux- 



BREAKFAST. 



urious nobleman of London is scarcely prepared for it by mid- 
(]ay ; — and the shadows of evenino- may begin to fall before his 
first meal is partaken of by the etfeminate epicure of Paris. 

Dr. Tobias Venner, of Shakspeare's time, in writing upon 
diet, recommends to students and persons of sedentary life that 
they omit breakfost entirely, and take but two meals in the day. 
But he says of those who use much exercise that they should not 
altogether go fasting till dinner, but break their fast, with this 
threefold caution — that they find their stomachs to be clean and 
empty, — that the breakfast be slender, — of meats of light di- 
irestion, and that it be taken four hours before dinner. He adds, 
'• If any man desire a light, nourishing, and comfortable breakfast^ 
1 know none better than a couple of^JOrt(7<6'(/ e^ffs, seasoned with 
a little sauce, and a few corns of pepper, eating therewithal a 
little bread and butter, and drinking after, a good draught of cla- 
ret wine." The doctor lived before the days of tea and coffee. 

Isaac Walton pleasantly says : '• My honest scholar, it is now 
past five of the clock ; we will fish until nine, and then go to 
breakfast. Go you to yonder sycamore tree, and hide your bot- 
tie of drink under the hollow root of it ; for about that time, 
and in that place, we will make a brave breakfast with a piece 
ot'2>owdercd beef, and a radish or two, that I have in my fish-bag. 
We shall, I warrant yon, make a good, honest, wholesome, Imn- 
nrv breakfast. ■^' * * Now let us say grace and fall to 
breakfast. What say you, scholar, to the providence of an old 
auixler ? Does not this meat taste well 1 and Mas not this place 
well chosen to eat it? for this sycamore tree will shade us from 
the sun's heat." Scholar : " xVll excellent good, and my stomach 
excellent good too." 
^ But little mention is made of breakfast in ancient history ; it 
being a simple meal, in striking contrast to the luxurious dinner. 
The Greeks ate but two meals ; the first at mid-day, the second 
at evening. The first Mas generally composed of fruits and light 



BREAKFAST. 



wines ; the heat of the climate rendering more hearty food dis- 
tasteful. 

^ Our English ancestors in the 13th and 14th centuries had 
four meals in a day ; breakfast at seveii, dinner at ten, supper at 
four, and livery at eight or nine ; soon after which they went to 
bed. The tradespeople and laboring men had only three meals : 
breakfast at eight, dinner at twelve, and supper at six. 

As a specimen of the family breakfasts in Great Britain in the 
IGth century, we will give that of the Duke of Northumberland. 
" The flimily rose at six, and took breakfast at seven. My Lord 
and Lady sat down to a repast of two pieces of salted Jish, and 
half a dozen of red herrings, with four fresh ones, or a dish of 
sprats and a quart of beer, and the same measure of wine. This 
was on meagre days. At other seasons, half a chine of mutton 
or of boiled beef, graced the board. Capons at 2d. a piece and 
plovers (at Christmas) were deemed too good for any digestion 
that was not carried on in a noble stomach." 

" Queen Elizabeth's breakfast usually consisted of line wheaten 
loaves and cakes, ale, beer and wine, pottage made with mutton 
or beef, chines of beef, (probably cold,) — rabbits and butter. In 
one of her jyror/resses through the country, three oxen and one 
hundred and forty geese were furnished for the Sunday morning's 
breakflist for the maiden monarch and her brilliant retinue." 

In Lord Fairfax's orders to the servants of his household, he 
says : " Tlic clerk of the kitchen must appoynt the cooks what 
must be for breakfasts, for the ladyes in their chambers, and 
likewise for the gentlemen in the hall or parlour, which must be 
served by eight of the clock in the morninge and not after." 

k Pepys, of Charles II.'s reign, having company to breakflist, 
mentions : " I had for them a barrel of oysters, a dish of 
neat's tongues, and a dish of anchovies ; with wine of all sorts, 
and ale." 

The poet Rogers, whose liospitality is proverbial, has the 



BREAKFAST. 



credit of establishing the breakfast ^9a?V?/ as a link in London so- 
ciety. The " mornings " at his house are famous among the lit- 
erati of England. 

Miss Sedgwick writes of the English breakfast imrUj^ that the 
hour appointed is from ten to eleven o'clock. " The mmiber of 
guests is never allowed to exceed twelve. The entertainment is 
little varied from our eight o'clock breakfasts. There are coffee, 
tea, chocolate, toast, rolls, grated beef and eggs, and in place of 
our solid beef-steaks, — broiled chickens, reindeers' tongues, sweet- 
meats, fruit and ices. These are not bad substitutes for heavier 
viands, and for our variety of hot cakes. You see none of these 
unless it be a ' nmffin.' " 

" Breakfast in England," says Willis, " is a confidential and 
unceremonious hour, and servants are generally dispensed with. 
The coffee and tea were on the table, with toast, muffins, oat-cakes, 
marmalade, jellies, fish ; on the side-board stood cold meats for 
those who liked them, and they were expected to go to it and 
help themselves. Nothing could be more easy, unceremonious, 
and affable than the whole tone of the meal. One after another 
rose and fell into groups in the windows, or walked up and down 
the long room." 

I^Irs. H. B. Stowe in mentioning a breakfast at which she was 
a guest in England, relates some conversation with !Mr. Macaulay 
upon breakfiist parties. She says : " Looking around the table, 
and seeing how everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves, I 
said to Macaulay that these breakfast parties w'ere a novelty to 
nie ; that we never had them in America, but that I thought them 
the most delightful form of social life. He seized upon the idea 
as he often does, and turned it playfully inside out, and shoolc it 
upon all sides, just as one might play with the lustres of a chan- 
delier — to see them glitter. He expatiated on the merits of 
breakfast parties as compared with all other parties. He said, 
' You invite a man to dinner because you must invite him ; be- 



BEEAIvFAST. 7 

cause you are acquainted with his grandfather, or it is proper you 
should ; but you invite a man to breakfast because you want to 
see him. You may be sure if you are invited to breakfast, there 
is something agreeable about you.' — This idea struck me as very 
sensible ; and we all, generally, having the fact before our eyes 
that we were invited to breakfast, approved the sentiment." 

A very graceful practice at breakflist, and one especially 
agreeable in the heat of a summer morning, is thus described by 
Mrs. S. C. Hall as characteristic of Miss Edgeworth : " I thought 
myself particularly good to be up and about at half-past seven in 
the morning ; but early as it was, Miss Edgeworth had preceded 
me, and a table heaped with early roses, upon which • the dew 
was still moist, and a pair of gloves too small for any hands but 
hers, told who was the early florist. There was a rose or a little 
bouquet, of her arranging, always by each plate on the breakfast 
table, and if she saw my bouquet faded, she was sure to tap at my 
door with a fresh one before dinner. And this from Maria 
Edgeworth — then between seventy and eighty — to me ! These 
small attentions enter the heart and remain there." 

" A breakfast in Scotland consists chiefly of cold grouse, sal- 
mon, cold beef, marmalade, jellies, honey, five kinds of bread, 
oatmeal cakes, coffee, toast and tea." 

Breakfast in America is peculiarly a family meal. At this, 
more than any other, there is an unrestrained enjoyment of the 
home circle. The breakfast ^j)ar/?/ is almost unknown among 
us, being confined to a very limited circle of the flishionable class ; 
not that we are less socially inclined than the English, but that 
the busy, active life of this new country forbids the devoting the 
early hours of the day to merely social enjoyment. It is usually 
a hearty meal, consisting of coffee, meats, fish, toast, a variety 
of hot cakes, and in the Southern States, hominy and rice, cooked 
in various ways, and several kinds of hot bread. 

Southey alludes to the different preferences of various nations 



BEEAKFAST. 



ill resarcl to food when lie describes a man of universal taste, as 
one who would have eaten " sausages for breal-fast at Norwich, 
sally lunns at Bath, sweet butter in Cumberland, orange marma- 
lade at Edinburgh, Findon haddocks at Aberdeen, and drunk punch 
with beef-steaks to oblige the French if they insisted upon obliging 
him with a dejeuner a VAnglaise. He would have eaten squab- 
pie in Devonshire, sheep's-head with the hair on in Scotland, 
and potatoes roasted on the hearth in Ireland ; frogs with the 
French, pickled herrings with the Dutch, sour-krout Avith the 
Germans ; maccaroni with the Italians, aniseed with the Spaniards, 
garlic with anybody ; horse-flesh with the Tartars ; ass-flesh with 
the Persians ; dogs with the North-Western Indians, curry with 
the Asiatic East Indians, birds' nests with the Chinese, mutton 
roasted with honey with the Turks, pismire cakes on the Orinoco, 
and turtle and venison with the Lord Mayor ; and the turtle and 
venison he would have preferred to all the other dishes, because 
his taste, though catholic, was not indiscriminating." 



COFFEE. 



COFFEE. 

"The morning finds the self-sequestered man 
Fresh for his task, intend what task ho may ; 

■ Whether inclement seasons recommend 
His warm but simple home, where he enjoys 
With her who shares his pleasures and his heart, 
Sweet converse, — sipping calm the fragrant drink 
Which neatly she prepares ; then to his book 
Well chosen, and not sullenly perused 
In selfish silence, but imparted, oft 
As aught occurs that she may smile to hear 
Or turn to nourishment, digested well."— Cowper. 

" Mocha's berry, from Arabia, pure. 
In small, fine, china cups, came in at last." — Byron. 

Coffee is an evergreen shrub, that grows to the height of six- 
teen or eighteen feet, the berries growing in clusters lilve cherries. 
About the time America was discovered, this plant was first 
known and used. It grew in Arabia and Ethiopia. It is said, 
that the superior of a monastery in the East, having heard from 
the shepherds, that their flocks were more lively after browsing 
upon this plant, determined to try its effects, and made his monks 
drink an infusion of coffee, to prevent their sleeping during the 
nocturnal services. That the experiment proved successful, may 
be inferred from the reputation which the plant soon obtained in 
the adjacent countries. 

Coffee was not introduced into England until the middle of 
the seventeenth century. Sir Henry Blount, who visited Turkey 
in 1634, thus speaks of it : " The Turks have a drink called 
Cauphe^ made of a berry as big as a small bean, dried in a fur- 
nace, and beat to a powder of a sooty color, in taste a little bitter- 
ish, that they seethe and drink hot as may be endured ; it is good 
at all hour^ of the day, but especially morning and evening, when 



10 BREAKFAST. 



to that purpose, they entertain themselves two or three hours in 
Caujphe-hoiiscs, uhieh. in Turkey, abound more than inns and ale- 
houses with US. It is thought to be the old black broth used so 
mueh by the Lacedemonians. It drieth ill-humors in the stomach, 
comtbrteth tlie brain, never causeth drunkenness, nor any other 
surfeits, and is a harmless entertainment of good fellowship." 

An English merchant, trading in Turkey, in 1652, brought 
home with liiiii to England a Greek servant, who knew how to 
roast the cotlee and make it, and opened a house to sell it pub- 
licly. In spite of the many prejudices which prevailed for the first 
twenty years after its introduction, the coffee-houses increased, 
and became universally established. They were the common 
assemblies of all classes of society. The mercantile man, the man 
of letters, and the man of lashion, had their appropriate coffee- 
houses. 

In 1668, a Turkish ambassador at Paris made the beverage of 
coffee fashionable. Tlie elegance of the equipage, recommended 
it to the eye, and charmed the women ; the brilliant porcelain 
cups in which it was poured, the napkins fringed with gold, and the 
Turkish slaves, on their knees presenting it to the ladies seated 
on the ground on cushions, turned the heads of the Parisian dames. 

Tliis elegant introduction, made the exotic beverage a subject 
of conversation, and in 167*2, an American in Paris opened a 
.coffee-house. His example was quickly followed, beer and wine 
being also sold at these places. 

The mixture of indifferent company which frequented these 
coffee-houses, led a Elorentine, noted for his taste in this depart- 
ment, to organize a superior establishment, and to introduce ices ; 
he embellished his apartments ; and here literary men, artists, and 
wits, resorted to inhale the fresh and fragrant steam. Tliis and 
other cotTee-houses held a distmguished place in the literary his- 
tory of the times. 

Tlie hiiili favor with which coffee came at lenirth to be re- 



COFFEE. 1 1 

garded in the houses of the great, may be perceived from the 
fact that the quantity provided for the daughters of Louis XV. 
of France, is said to have cost £3,000 sterling a year. 

Pope was extremely fond of coffee, often calling up his 
servant in the night to prepare it for him. It was the custom in 
his day, to grind and prepare it upon the table, of which practice 
he gives the following glowing description : — 

" For lo ! the board with cup and spoons is crowned, 
The berries crackle, and the mill turns round ; 
On shining altars of Japan they raise 
The silver lamp ; the fiery spirits blaze. 
From silver spouts the grateful liquors glide, 
"While China's earth receives the smoking tide. 
At once they gratify their sense and taste, 
And frequent cups prolong the rich repast. 
Straight hover round the fair her airy band ; 
Some, as she sipped, the fuming liquor fanned ; 
Some o'er her lap their careful plumes display'd. 
Trembling, and conscious of her rich brocade. 
Cofi'ee (which makes the politician wise. 
And see through all things with his half-shut eyes) 
Sent up in vapors to the baron's brain 
New stratagems the radiant lock to gain." 

The leaf of the coffee-tree is used in the Eastern Archipelago, 
as a substitute for tea ; the leaves are roasted over a clear smoke- 
less fire, after which they are picked from the twigs, and when 
immersed in boiling water, form an agreeable beverage. 

There are many substitutes for coffee — the roasted acorn, the 
roasted seeds of a yellow water iris, the chick pea, beans, rye and 
other grains, nuts, almonds, and even wheaten bread ; besides 
the dried and roasted roots of the turnip, carrot and dandelion. 

To detect Chicory in coffee, put the powder in cold water; 
chicory gives a colored infusion in the cold water, whereas coffee 
does not, and by the depth of the color, the proportion of chicory 
may be guessed at. 



12 BREAKFAST. 



The chicory root is taken up before the plant shoots into 
flower ; is washed, sliced, and dried ; it is then roasted till it is 
of a chocolate color. Two pounds of lard are roasted with each 
hundred weight. When ground and exposed to the air, it be- 
comes moist and clammy, and acquires a distinct smell of liquor- 
ice. It possesses in no degree the pleasAnt aroma which recom- 
mends the genuine roasted coffee. AYhen infused, even in cold 
water, it imparts to it a dark color and a sweetish bitter taste. 
The bitter substance is not, however, considered unwholesome. 

In some parts of Germant, the women are becoming regular 
chicory-topers, and are making of it an important part of their 
daily sustenance. 

As the coffee-dealer adulterates his coffee with chicory, so 
the chicory-dealer adulterates his chicory with Venetian Red. 

There are three kinds of coffee for sale : The Arabian, or 
Mocha, which is the best. It has a small yellow bean. The 
Java and East Indian, the second in quality, has a larger bean, 
and is of a paler yellow color tlian the Mocha. The West 
Indian Rio has a bluish or greenish tint. 

The Preparation of Co fee. — Previous to roasting the coffee 
wash the grains, and dry them on a pan, placed near the fire, or in 
a cool oven. While roasting, stir them constantly that all may 
be equally brown. Some persons think the aroma more agree- 
able, when the heat is not greater than is sufficient to impart 
a light brown color to the bean. Others prefer the coffee roast- 
ed to a dark brown, but carefully avoid burning it. In order to 
prevent the blunders of servants in roasting coffee, many house- 
keepers buy it already scorched and ground, as it is now so 
generally prepared by dealers in coffee. 

In making this beverage it is a good rule to allow one large 
table-spoonful of the ground coffee for each person, and " one for 
the pot ; •' stir an egg with the dry coffee, and pour on boiling- 



COFFEE. 13 

water, allowing three pints of water to seven spoonfuls of coffee. 
Let it boil gently ten or fifteen minutes ; then set it where it will 
keep hot, (but not simmer,) that it may settle. 

M. Soyer's mode of making coffee, is an original one, and one 
worthy of note. He puts the dry coffee in the pot, stirs it while 
heating, then pours the boiling water over it, which is a quart 
to one ounce of coffee^ and sets the pot where it will keep hot, but 
not boil. It stands ten minutes, when it is ready for drinking. 

Where cream cannot be had, boiled milk serves well as a 
substitute, in making a good cup of coffee. 

Cafe au lait is made by nearly filling a cup with boiled milk, 
sweetening to the taste, and flavoring with coffee. 

The following receipt by M. Koques, makes a delightful 
beverage for breakfast, during the heat of the summer : 

Cafe a la Crhne fra2)pi de glace, — Make an infusion of 
strong Mocha coffee, put it in a china bowl, sw^eeten it agreeably 
to your taste, and add to it an equal quantity of boiled milk, or 
a third of rich cream ; surround the bowl with broken ice, and 
let it stand till icy cold. 

In Germany and France, the coffee is prepared at the table by 
the ladies, by pouring boiling water over it, and letting it drain a 
few minutes in a machine for the purpose ; care being taken to 
drain it slowly through a sieve and tissue paper. 

Dandelion Coffee. — This coffee is of excellent flavor, and 
vvithout any of the deleterious effects of the Arabian berry. 
When drank at night, it produces an inclination to sleep, the 
plant being of a soporific nature. To prepare it for drinking, 
wash the roots carefully, without removing the brown skin, since 
that contributes much to the aroma which so strongly resembles 
coffee. Cut the roots into small pieces, and roast them browai 
and crisp. Grind and 2)repare it as you would coffee, boiling it 
a few minutes. 



14 BREAKFAST. 



COCOA. 

When the Spaniards first established themselves in Mexico, 
they found a beverage in common use amiong the inhabitants, 
which was prepared from the seed of the cacao. They brought 
the seed to Europe in 1520, and it has since been introduced 
more or less extensively into every civilized country. Linnaeus 
was so fond of it, that he gave to the tree, the generic name of 
" Theobroma " — food of the gods. 

There is also the Brazilian cocoa ; and in South Carolina, a 
kind of oily under-ground pea is roasted, and then prepared in 
the same way as chocolate. In Spain the root of the earth 
chestnut is used as a substitute for coffee or chocolate. (Chem- 
istry of Common Life.) 



CHOCOLATE. 



In preparing Chocolate for family use, cut off about two inches 
of the cake to one quart of water ; stir it first in a little cold 
water, till it is soft, then pour on the boiling water. After it has 
boiled a short time, add a pint of milk, boil up and serve. 
Sweeten to taste. 

The French rule for making chocolate, is to put two cups of 
boiling water to one cup of chocolate ; cook it in a silver sauce- 
pan, throw the chocolate in just as the water commences to boil ; 
let it reduce a part, pour it into the cups and serve. It is well 
to stir it with a spoon when it commences to boil. To make it 



CHOCOLATE. 15 



very good, add two cups of good milk after it has boiled, boil 
then again until reduced somewhat, and then serve. 

A German receipt for preparing chocolate is as follows : To 
half a pound of chocolate, allow two quarts of milk and the 
yelks of six eggs. The chocolate is to be grated, and when the 
milk boils, poured into it ; boil them together for ten minutes, 
then stir in the yelks of the eggs, and dish it. — Vollmer. 

An Italian poet of the seventeenth century, Francisco Redi, 
while warmly extolling the virtues of 2vine, thus expresses his 
disgust at other beverages : — 

"Talk of chocolate! 
Talk of tea! 

Medicines made — ye gods ! — as they are, 
Are no medicines made for me. 
I would sooner take to poison 
Than a single cup set eyes on 
Of that bitter and guilty stuff ye 
Talk of by the name of coffee. 
Let the Arabs and the Turks 
Count it 'mongst their cruel works ; 
Foe of mankind, black and turbid, 
Let the throats of slaves absorb it ; 
Down in Tartarus, 
Down in Erebus ; 

'Twas the detestable Fifty invented it ; 
The Furies then took it 
To grind and to cook it, 
And to Proserpine all three presented it. 
If the Mussulman in Asia 
Doats on a beverage so unseemly, 
I differ with the man extremely." 



1 6 BREAKFAST. 



BREAD. 

At an inn in Sweden, there is the following inscrii:)tion on the wall, in English: "You 
will find at Trollhathe, excellent bread, meat, and wino, provided you bring them with 
youy 

To make the Yeast. — Take one pint of potato water (that is, 
the water in which potatoes have just been boiled), while it is 
boiling hoi, thicken it with flour, and when nearly cool, add a 
cup of yeast or a softened yeast cake ; set the dish containing it 
in a warm place, and it will be nice and light in a few hours. 

The Sponge. — If you wish to make sponge over night, keep 
your tea-kettle over the fire until bed-time. Then pour from it 
into the bread-pan, three quarts of milk-warm water ; throw in 
one table-spoonful of salt, and stir in the above prepared yeast. 
In very warm weather, do not use all the yeast, for the bread 
will not be as good. Thicken with flour until it is a soft batter. 
If the weather be cool, set the pan containing the sponge in a 
warm place, covering it neatly with a cloth kept for that purpose. 
In the morning, if the sponge be sour, dissolve a heaping tea-spoon- 
ful of saleratus, in a little water, and stir it in ; and if it still seems 
sour, add more according to your judgment. Work in flour, and 
knead the dough thoroughly, making small loaves. The pans 
should be well buttered and warmed when used. Place the 
loaves in a warm place, and keep them covered with a warmed 
white cloth. If properly attended to, the bread will be light in 
an hour, and ready for the oven, which should be thoroughly 
heated. Be careful that the top of the bread do not scorch and 
brown too soon, for this will prevent its rising up light, which it 
would otherwise do. 



BREAD. 11 

Mrs. Partington says, " she has always noticed that whether 
flour be dear or cheap, she has invariably to pay the same money 
for a half dollar's worth." 

How to make Yeast Cakes. — Take a tea-spoonful of hops, 
and pour over them a pint of boiling water ; let it stand a few 
minutes, then strain the water into a saucepan ; heat it boiling 
hot, and stir in flour, to make a stiff" batter ; take it off* and set it 
away to cool ; when merely lukewarm, pour into it a tea-cup of 
good yeast, or a yeast cake softened in water. Set it in a warm 
place to rise, in two or three hours it will be light ; when add a 
tea-spoon of salt, two table-spoons of molasses or sugar, and a 
little salera.tus. 

Then mix in Indian meal to make it stiff enough to roll out in 
a round long roll. Cut it in slices about half an inch thick, 
spread meal over your board, and lay these cakes to dry. Turn 
them frequently while drying, and if possible get them dried in 
two or three days, or they may become sour. They do well to 
dry in the air but not in the sun. Put them away in a dry place, 
and when you use one, soak it in milk- warm water. 

" When the Gallic and Celtiberian brewers steeped their 
wheat in water, and mashed it for their drink, they took the froth 
that collected on the top, and used it instead of leaven, which was 
the reason that their bread was always lighter than any other." — 
(Pliny.) 

To make Stale Bread fresh. — Put a stale loaf into a closely 
covered tin, expose it for half an hour, or longer, to a heat not 
greater than that of boiling water ; then remove the tin, and allow 
it to cool ; the loaf will thus be restored to the appearance and 
properties of new bread. 

" No sooner said than done." 



18 BREAKFAST. 



Wheat meal is more nutritious if the bran be not sifted from 
it, and it is much easier of digestion. 

Barley and rye differ in flavor and color ffom wheat, but they 
resemble it in composition and nutritive quality. They do not, 
however, make as hght bread. Rye bread retains its freshness 
and moisture for a longer time than wheaten bread. 

Steamed Bread. — Much less fuel is required in cooking bread 
by steaming, than in the usual mode of baking. It may there- 
fore be an object with some persons to know how it is done, espe- 
cially if their oven obstinately refuses to bake. It is a very simple 
thing. If you have no regular steamer, put a deep tin basin upside 
down, in the bottom of an iron kettle, partly filled with water, and 
upon this set the basin of dough, covering the kettle tightly. It is 
necessary your bread be in a deep tin basin, for it rises very 
much, and will otherwise be wasted by rumiing over. 

Rije and Indian Bread. — To two quarts of Indian meal, add 
one quart of unbolted rye flour, half a tea-cup of molasses, one 
table-spoon of salt, and saleratus. Mix with warm water into a 
soft dough ; grease an iron kettle or basin and put the mixture 
in ; when it is light, the top will be cracked open. It rises in a 
short time if kept in a warm place, and when these cracks appear 
put it . in the oven and bake it thoroughly. If you use a brick 
oven, (which is best for this bread,) leave it in all night. 

" Always taking out of a meal-tub, and never 2^^if^if^[f ^'^ 
soon brings you to the bottom." 

Indiayi Bread. — One quart of sour milk, four tea-cups of Indian 
meal, two tea-cups of rye or Graham flour, one tea-spoon of salt, 
half a cup of molasses ; two tea-spoons saleratus dissolved in the 
milk, before adding to the whole. Bake two and a half hours in 



BREAD. 19 



a two-quart basin in a moderate oven. After it is baked, let it 
stand half an hour in the tin, before removing. 



Rhode Island Corn Bread. — Scald some milk, and stir Indian 
meal into it, until it is thick. Salt it, and add a little molasses, 
according to your taste. Have your oven hot ; put the mixture 
in a deep baking dish, and let it remain in the oven all night. 

Potato Bread. — Pare and boil some potatoes ; when soft, 
mash them in the water in which they have been boiled ; sift all 
through a colander, and when cool, add flour enough to make a 
sponge ; salt it, and put in yeast. Keep this sponge in a warm 
place till it is light, then mix more flour into it, and make it into 
loaves. Potato bread is good, and does not dry as quickly as 
that made entirely of wheat flour ; potato is not suitable for 
making bread unless wheat flour is combined with it. 

Rice Bread. — (Southern ReceiiJt.) — One pint of rice flour, 
half a pint of wheat flour, one pint of sour milk, two eggs, one tea- 
spoon of saleratus, butter half the size of an egg. The rice must 
be powdered fine, and stirred in, after the other ingredients are 
partly mixed. Bake as soon as possible after the whole is 
stirred together-. 

In France, bread is sometimes made of apjoles tnixed with 
flour. They put one-third of boiled apple-pulp to two-thirds of 
wheat flour, and ferment it with yeast for twelve hours. This 
bread is said to be light and very palatable. 

" About the tenth century, persons accused of robbery were 
put to trial by a piece of barley bread, on which the mass had 
been said ; and if they could' not swallow it, they were declared 
guilty. Sometimes a slice of cheese was added to the bread. The 



20 BEEAKFAST. 



bread was to be of unleavened barley, and the cheese made of 
Ewe's milk in the month of May." — D'Israeli. 

" Oatmeal is extremely nutritious, excellent for dyspeptics, 
and withal is the cheapest meal. It is highly esteemed in Scot- 
land, as an agreeable and wholesome food. It is rich in gluten 
and in the fatty matters, which tend to make it eminently nutri- 
tious. The '■'•Flat J^reacV of the Norwegians, is a cake made 
of water and either rye or oatmeal stirred together, well kneaded 
and baked on a griddle. 

" Better is oaten bread to-day^ than cakes to-morrow^ 

A soldier once ventured, in the presence of the whole army, 
to present with an air of complaint, to Charles XII. of Sweden, a 
piece of bread that was black and mouldy, made of barley and 
oats, which was the only food they then had, and of which they 
had not even a sufficiency. The king received the bread, and 
without the least emotion ate every morsel of it ; then coolly said 
to the soldier, '* It is not good, but it may be eaten ! " 

The Bread Fruit Tree. — This fruit is picked while the rind is 
green, and as it is seldom relished raw, it is then peeled, wrapped 
in leaves, and baked on hot stones. The pith is snow-white and 
mealy ; it tastes like wheaten bread, sometimes rather sweeter. 

A.\\ ancient custom is still preserved in Russia, at the time of 
the coronation of an emperor, for each province to send to him 
bread and salt as a token of welcome. But the loaf is carried 
" upon a massive salver of gold and silver, of the rarest work- 
manship, and the salt in a l)ox or cup of the same material, stud- 
ded with jewels. These coronation gifts received by Alexander, 
Nicholas, and the 2>resent Emperor, are kept in one hall, and 



BREAKFAST-CAKES. 21 



make a grand display. The salvers presented to the two former 
Emperors rise in dazzling pyramids from the floor nearly to the 
ceiling, but they are far outshone by those of Alexander II., who 
received just as much as his father and uncle together. If the 
wealth lavished upon these offerings is an index to the popular 
feeling, it is a happy omen for his reign. The taste, richness and 
variety of the ornaments, bestowed upon the mighty golden 
salvers exceeds anything of the kind I ever saw. Their value 
can only be estimated by miillions. It is significant, perhaps, 
that the largest and most superb, which occupies the place of 
honor, in the center of the glorious pile, is the offering of the serfs 
of the Imperial domains." 



BREAKFAST CAKES. 

" But I ate naught 
Till I that lovely child of Ceres saw, 
A large, sweet, round, and yellow cake ; how then 
Could I from such a dish, my friends, abstain ? " 

Breakfast Corn Cake ; excellent and easily made. — One pint 
of buttermilk or sour milk, one pint of Indian meal, one ^^g^ one 
tea-spoon of saleratus, one tea-spoon of salt, two tea-spoons of 
molasses or sugar. Dissolve the saleratus in a little warm water, 
and stir it in the mixture the last thing before putting it into the 
pan to bake. With a quick oven, it bakes in half an hour. 

Excellent Corn Bread. — Three quarts of sour milk, seven 
eggs, one cup of butter melted, one tea-spoon of saleratus. Mix 
with corn meal to the consistency of a thick batter, and bake 
with a brisk heat. 



22 BKEAKFAST. 



Corn Cakes. — Throe tca-ciips of corn meal, one tea-cup of 
\vlieat flour, two tea-cups of milk, one tea-cup of cream or a little 
butter ; one egg, one tea-spoon of salt. Bake in small pans with 
a brisk heat. 

Pancake Bell. — It ^Yas a custom in England, from time im- 
memorial, to cat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, -which is the 
seventh Tuesday before Easter. The great bell, which used to 
be rung on that day to call the people together to confess their 
sins, was called pancal'C-hell, a name which it still retains in some 
places where the custom is kept up. This custom is alluded to 
by Shaks^^eare, and other contemporary Avriters. Taylor, in his 
works in IGoO, gives the following account : — 

" All is inquiet ujion Shrove Tuesday morning. By the timo 
the clock strikes eleven, there is a bell rung called the pancake-, 
bell, the sound whereof makes thousands of people distracted, and 
forgetful either of manners or humanities ; then there is a thing 
called wheaten floure, which the cookes do mingle with water, 
egges, spice, and other tragical, magical inchantments ; and then 
they put it by little and little, into a frying-pan of boiling suet, 
where it makes a confused dismal hissing, (like the Lernean 
snakes in the reeds of Acheron, Stix, or Phlegeton,) until at last 
by the skill of the cooke, it is transformed into the form of a 
flip-jack cal'd a pancake, which ominous incantation the ignorant 
people doe devour very greedily." 

Rhode Island Pancakes. — To one pint of Indian meal, add 
one pint of rye flour, two table-spoons of molasses, one tea-spoon 
of saleratus, one tea-spoon of salt, three eggs well beaten. Stir 
with these ingredients suflicient new milk to make a stitV batter, 
and fry it ten minutes in lard, as you would dough-nuts. 

Another rule is nearly as good when milk and eggs are scarce. 
Mix well one quart of Indian meal, one quart of rye flour, two 



BREAKFAST-CAKES. 22 



large t<able-spoons of melted shortening, or butter ; five table- 
spoons of molasses, one table-spoon of salt, one small tea-spoon 
of saleratus, one quart of water. Fry it as above. 

Sour Milk Griddle Cakes. — To one cpiart of thick sour milk, 
stir in wheat flour until it is quite stiff; add a little salt. When 
the griddle is hot, dissolve one tea-spoon of saleratus in a little 
water, stir it in quickly, and bake. 

Waffles. — The above rule makes good waffles. 

Rice or Hominy Griddle Cakes. — ^To one quart of sweet milk, 
put two cups of boiled rice or hominy, two eggs beaten a little ; 
throw in a sprinkling of salt, and thicken with wheat flour. Half 
a tea-spoon of soda, dissolved. If the rice be coM, warm the 
milk and rub the rice into it, before putting the flour in. 

Indian Pancakes. — One quart of milk, one egg, one tea-spoon 
of saleratus. Stir in half Indian meal and half wheat flour, until 
the mixture is sufficiently stiff to put on the griddle. 

Buckwheat Cakes. — To two quarts of warm milk or water, 
add one tea-cup of yeast and one tea-spoon of salt. Stir in the 
flour until it is a thick batter. Set it to rise the night before it 
is wanted. In the morning if the batter seems sour, dissolve and 
stir into it a tea-spoon of saleratus. When cooking your cakes, 
it is usual to leave half a pint of batter in the jar where you have 
prepared it, to serve as yeast for another mixture. 

Muffins. — One quart of milk, one egg, salt, half a cup of yeast, 
table-spoon of melted butter, flour to make a thick batter. To 
be made late in the evening, and stand all night for breakfast, or 
if you wish them for tea, mix them at noon, and keep the pan in 



24 BREAKFAST. 



a "svarin plaeo and it will rise in a few honrs. Iloat the griddle, 
then bntter it and the niuflin rinos ; put tlie latter npon the grid- 
dle and pour in the batter; turn them ouee only. 

Soila Jlitffiiis. — One phit of water, one cpiart of (lour, half a tea- 
cu]> oi' butter, two small spoons o( eream of tartar, one small 
spoon of soda. l>ake immediately upon a hot griddle, or set your 
mulhu riuii's in a pau, and bake iu an oven. 

Missouri Corn Cal'cs. — [Wifhout e</<js, milk, or j/casf.) — Sift 
three pints o( eorn meal, add one tea-spoon of salt, one table- 
spoon o{ lard, one tea-spoon of dissolved soda. Make it into a 
soft dough with one pint of eold water, then thin it gradually by 
adding not quite one and a half pints of warm water ; when it is 
all mixed, beat or stir it well for half an hour, then bake on the 
griddle and serve hot. 

J^t/c and Indian Griddle Calrs. — One enp of eorn meal, two 
cups of rye Hour, one egg, a little salt, one tea-spoon of soda, two 
tea-spoons of eream of tartar. 

The Tortil/a is made by the INIexiean women, wln^ bruise the 
boiled maize, elap it into thin eakes, iling it on the heated stone, 
and the market-women then ery '* Tortillas ! Tortillas eali- 
entes ! " 

Indian Corn Jiiscuif. — Sit\. one quart of corn meal and one 
pint of wheat Hour into a pan with three pints of milk and one 
tea-spoon of salt. l>eat the whites and yelks of four eggs 
separately as tor s]>onge eake ; then fu'st stir in the yelks, and the 
whites, a little at a time, into the previously well-mixed meal and 
milk ; have ready buttered a sullieient number of eups or small 
deep pans, nearly till them with the batter, set them immediately 



BREAKFAST-CAKES. 25 



into a hot oven and bake tliem fast. Turn them out of the cups 
and send them warm to the table. They will puff up finely, if 
at the last you stir in a tea-spoon of soda dissolved in a little 
M'arm water. 

Xicc Johnny Cake. — Sift one quart of Indian meal into a pan, 
rub into it two table-spoons of butter, add one small cup of 
molasses and a tea-spoon of ginger. Pour on by degrees suffi- 
cient warm water to make a moderately soft dough ; it may be 
stirred hard. Butter small tin pans, fill them with the dough, 
and bake thoroughly with a strong heat. Care should be taken 
in the baking, that the outside does not burn while the inside is 
«!oft and raw. 

Steamed Johnny Cake. — One pint of sour cream, one tea- 
spoon of soda, one tea-spoon of salt. Stir in a handftd of wheat 
flour, mixed with corn meal enough to make a stiff batter. Put 
it into a tin basin ; set this into a bread steamer, and keep the 
steam up for an hour or more according to the size of the cake. 
Serve it with cream and sugar. 

Iloe-Cake. — This cake is so called because in some parts of 
America it is customary to bake it on the iron of a hoe turned 
up before the fire. Sift a tin pan half full of Indian meal, throw 
in a tea-spoonful of salt. Pour boiling water on the meal, a 
little at a time, stirring it well with a spoon as you proceed, until 
you have a stiff dough. It must be thoroughly mixed and stirred 
hard. This dough must be mixed over night in order to eat at 
breakfast. After mixing, cover the pan and set it in a cool place 
till morning, for it might turn sour if kept warm. In the morn- 
ing flatten and shape your dough into cakes about the size of a 
saucer, then bake on the griddle. The griddle should be well- 
heated when they are put on, so that they will brown nicely ; 



26 BREAKFAST. 



when one side is done, turn them with a knife. They must be 
baked brown on both sides. They should be made about half an 
inch thick. 

A French writer relates that the Arabs sometimes bake cakes 
fter the following manner. " They kindle a fire in a stone 
pitcher, and when it is hot, they mix their meal in water, and 
daub the dough with the hollow of their hands upon the outside 
of the pitcher ; the dough spreads and bakes in an instant ; the 
bread comes off in small thin slices like one of our wafers." 

Morning Biscuit. — Prepare the dough over night after the 
following manner. Take one quart of flour, put in it a little salt, 
and two table-spoons of yeast, one pint of sour milk with a little 
saleratus dissolved in it. When the dough is made, work into it 
half a cup of butter ; then cut up the dough into small pieces for 
biscuit, shape them, and put them on a pan. Cover them with a 
cloth and let them stand until morning, when bake. 

Another Biscuit. — Take a quart of the bread dough, work a 
small tea-cup of butter into it thoroughly, shape it in rolls, or 
small biscuits, and set them in a warm place until light ; bake in a 
quick oven. 

Buttered Toast. — Take good bread for your toast if you wish 
it nice, for poor heavy bread makes equally poor toast. Dip 
your toasted slices lightly in hot water, and pour melted butter 
over them. 

Milk Toast. — For a couple of slices of toasted bread, heat 
half a pint of milk a little salted, when boiling hot add lialf a 
cup of butter and pour all over your bread. Serve as hot as 
possible. 



BREAKFAST-CAKES. 27 



Hot cross-huns are universally eaten in London on Good 
Friday ; it is one of the relics of Roman Catholic times. These 
have a cross stamped upon them, as did the cross-buns which the 
Catholic clergy formerly distributed to their people ; these latter 
were made from the dough of which the host was made, and there- 
by regarded peculiarly blessed. 

Oat-meal Cahe. — One pint of sour or buttermilk, one tea. 
spoon of soda, — salt. Thicken with oatmeal ; mix about as stiff 
as for biscuit, and bake on a griddle. Turn it over occasionally, 
and bake three quarters of an hour. 

The Authoress of Shetland and the Shetlanders, tells a story 
of a French emigre, who, on being entertained by a Scotch Dow- 
ager, asked leave to taste a bear meal hannoch, (a coarsely baked 
barley meal cake.) Finding it not much to the liking of his cul- 
tivated palate, he expressed his disgust rather strongly, which 
provoked his hostess to retort, " Some folk eat bannocks, and 
some folk GUt 2niddocks,^^ (the Scotch name for frogs.) 

Orange County Butter. — Strain the milk into clean pans, and 
allow it to stand until it is soured or clouded at the bottom of 
the pans ; 36 hours is the usual time. Keep your pans in a room 
scrupulously neat and cool, where a free circulation of air can 
take place, — as any impurities in the air will have a deleterious 
effect on the cream. 

When you take off the cream put it into a stone jar, unless 
you have sufficient cream to churn every day. Scald the churn 
and dasher thoroughly, filling the former with cold water after- 
wards to cool it. Then throw out the water from the churn, put 
in a tumbler of fresh water, in winter it should be warm, in sum- 
nier, cold. Tlien pour in the cream. 

In cJuirniuf/, the motion should be regular and moderate; 



28 BREAKFAST. 



slower in warm weather than in cold, that the temperature may 
be uniform throughout the whole mass. 

When the butter comes, pour into the churn a glass or two 
of water, to aid in cooling and " gathering " it. Previously scald 
the butter-bowl and ladle, and cool them, leaving cold water 
standing in the bowl. Take the butter into it, and wash it well 
in several waters. When the buttermilk is washed out, pour off 
the water, and salt the butter. Place it then in a cool place, and 
let it stand about eight hours. Work it again as before, and replace 
it until the next morning, when it should be carefully worked for 
the third time, and packed away. The butter should be worked 
hi a cool place, and put away out of the air and light, as soon as 
possible. In salting it, use one ounce of salt to one pound of 
butter. (Liverpool salt is considered better than Onondaga.) 

If you pack it in jars, these should be well scalded previous to 
using them. If in Jirkins, the latter should be soaked in strong 
brine, — at least two days before using ; then filled with sweet hay 
and hot water, and left to stand until the water is cooled. When 
the firkin or jar is filled, spread a white cloth over the top, press 
it in closely, and cover it with damp salt. Some persons make a 
brine of salt, saltpetre, and loaf sugar ; others merely put salt and 
a little charcoal on the top of the cloth. 

Great attention to neatness is necessary ; the least neglect in 
the care of pans, churn, etc., will surely affect the taste of the 
butter. 



Churning. — " Grievous work overnighte with y® churning. 
Nought w'^ persuade Gillian but that y cream was bewitched by 
Gamme Gurney, who was dissatisfied last Friday with her dole, 
and hobbled away mumping and cursing. At all events y® but- 
ter would not come ; but mother was resolved not to have so 
much goode creame wasted ; soe sent for Bess and me, Daisy and 
"Mercy Griggs, and insisted on our churning in turn till y* butter 



BUTTER. 29 

came, if we sat up all nighte for't. 'Twas a hard saying, and 
mighte have hampered like as Jephtha his rash vow ; howbeit 
soe soone as she had left us, we turned it into a frolick, and sang 
Chevy Chase from end to end to beguile time ; ne'ertheless, the 
butter w*^ not come ; soe then we grew sober, and at y* instance 
of sweete Mercy, chanted y* 119th Psalme ; and by the time we 
had attayned to " Lucerna pedibus," I heard y® buttermilk sep- 
arating and splashing in righte earnest. 'Twas near midnighte, 
however ; and Daisy had fallen asleep on y^ dresser. Gillian 
will ne'er be convinced but that our Latin broke the spell." — 
Household of Sir Thomas More^ by his daughter Margery. 

Butter -mahing Charm. — A writer in 1685 mentions " that an 
old woman in Essex came into a house at a time when as the 
maid was churning of butter, and having labored long and could 
not make her butter come, the old woman told the maid what 
was wont to be done when she was a maid, and also in her 
mother's time, — that if it happened their butter would not come 
readily, they used a charm to be said over it ; whilst yet it was 
in beating, and it would come straightways, and that was this : — 

' Come, butter, come ; 
Come, butter, come ; 
Peter stands at the gate 
"Waiting for a butter'd cake ; 
Come, butter, come.' 



u (. T 



This,' said the old woman, ' being said three times, will 
make your butter come, for it was taught my mother by a 
learned churchman in Queen Mary's days, when churchmen had 
more cunning and could teach people many a trick that our min- 
isters now-a-days know not.' " 

The old words huyd ur, softened by time into butter, meant 
chief or excellent food ; some suppose from its being used by 
chiefs only. 



riJ 



30 BREAKFAST. 



Toijve^erve ajirkui of Butter Fresh through the 2cinter. — Take 
suffioicut Avater to cover the butter about an inch in depth. ]\Iake 
it salt enough to float an egg ; then add to it one small teaspoon- 
full of pulverized saltpetre, six small tea-spoonfuls of pulverized 
loaf sugar. This receipt comes from a person who has had much 
experience in making and preserving butter. 

To restore rancid Butter. — Work it thoroughly in several 
changes of water ; after pouring oft' the water, salt the butter 
anew, and add a little sugar ; about half an ounce to one pound. 
It will thus be rendered more palatable, although it may not en- 
tirely restore the first delicate flavor peculiar to new and sweet 
butter. 

Mode of preserving Butter Fresh in India. — Butter is reduced 
to a 2^ure oil, by boiling it in an open vessel, until all the water 
is evaporated, which is shown bythe ceasing of the violent bub- 
bling. The liquid oil is then allowed to stand a short time, until 
the curd has subsided, when it is strained into bottles and corked 
tight. When wanted for use it is gently heated and poured out. 
It is said to be preserved in this way, for several years, and that 
this is the best form of butter, for use in sauces. This oil is 
called Ghee. 

The Orientals, particularly the Arabians, are exceedingly fond 
of clarified butter. Burton, a recent traveller in Arabia, saw a 
boy drink nearly a tumbler full, although his friends warned him 
that it would make him as flit as an elephant. In those coimtries 
if a man cannot enjoy clarified butter it is considered a sign that 
his stomach is out of order. They cook fried meat swimming in 
grease, and rice saturated with melted, even rancid butter. 

Butter was used sparingly among the Romans, as a medicine 
only. In general, the Olive groves of the hot climates supersede 
the use of butter. 



FORKS. 31 

Forlcs. — It is generally supposed that Tom Coryate, of queer 
memory, introduced the use of forks from Italy, so lately as the 
time of James I. But the Provenqal Plantagenet Queens did not 
feed with their fingers, whatever their English subjects might do; 
since in the list of Eleanora's plate occurs a pair of knives with 
silver sheaths enamelled, with fork of crystal, and a silver fork 
handled with ebony and ivory. Queen Elizabeth had " one of 
golde, one of corall^ slightly garnished with golde, and one of 
crystal, garnished with golde slightly, and sparcks of garnetts." 
But she kept them for ornament, and not for use ; preferring to 
feed herself with her fingers. 

The prejudice against this article of table furniture was great, 
even amongst the higher classes. One of the divines of that 
day preached against the use of it as " an insult on Providence 
not to touch one's meat with one's fingers." 

It was about the year 1600 that a traveller by the name of 
Tom Coryate noticed the common use of a fork by the Italians. 
He says, " The reason of this is, the Italian cannot by any means 
endure to have his dish of meat touched with fingers, seeing that 
all men's fingers are not alike clean ! Therefore, I myself thought 
good to imitate the Italian fashion by this forked cutting of 
meate, not only while I was in Italy, but also in Germany, and 
oftentimes in England since I came home." 

For a long time after this, it was only " the spruce gallants " 
who had travelled in Italy, that used the fork, it being classed 
among foreign fopperies. 

" Such was the party hatred of the Guelphs and Ghibellines, 
the two great Italian fiictions, that they carried their rancor even 
into their domestic habits ; — at table, the Guelphs placed their 
knives and spoons longwise ; the Ghibellines across ; — the one 
cut his bread across, the other longwise ; — even in cutting an 



32 BREAKFAST. 



orange they could not agree, for the Guelph cut his orange horizon 
tally, and the Ghibelline downwards." — D'Israeli. 



MEATS, FISH, AND OMELETTES. 

The Beef-Steak Clul. — This Club was formed in England 
about the year 1735, and had a great share of fame in its day. 
It originated in the merest accident. Lord Peterborough was 
visiting Kich, the famous harlequin, in his own apartment, and, 

" With him conversing, he forgot all time." 

Not so Mr. Eich, who had an internal unfailing monitor. With- 
out interrupting his discourse, or giving the least intimation to 
his aristocratic visitor of his intentions, he stirred his fire, laid 
his cloth, drew a beef-steak out of his cupboard, and cooked it. 
My lord was courteously invited to partake of it, and did so, 
and, so much to his satisfaction, that, before parting from his 
humorous acquaintance, he made an engagement to dine with 
him in the same room, at the same hour, and on a similar dish, 
on that day week. The suggestion, or the steak, was relished 
by others as much as by my lord and Mr. Eich, and this was the 
origin of the Beef-Steak Club. 



Beef-Steak. 

Pound well 3'our meat, until the fibres break ; 
Be sure, that next you have to broil the steak, 

Good coals in plenty ; nor it a moment leave, 
But turn it over this way, and then that ; 
The lean should be quite rare, not so the ftit. 

The platter, now and then, the juice receive. 
Put on your butter, place on it your meat. 

Salt, pepper, turn it over, serve and eat. 



MEATS, FISH, AND OMELETTES. 33 



Welsh mode of serving Beef-Steak. — Broil it over a quick fire, 
take it up on a platter, and butter it well. Then slice onions 
over it ; after which, cut them up fins on the meat. The onions 
impart their flavor to the beef, but are not eaten with it. It is 
important to cut them on the steak, otherwise this flavor is lost. 

Mrs. W.^s mode of making Sausages. — To 5 lbs. of chopped 
meat, 1 table-spoon of salt, 1 table-spoon of pepper, 1|- table- 
spoon pulverized sage. After the meat is well chopped and pre- 
pared, make it into round cakes an inch thick, and set them 
away in a cool place until wanted, or fill a long, narrow bag (of 
the size of your arm) with the prepared meat ; tie it tightly, and 
hang it up in a cool place. 

In frying, turn the cakes, or slices, carefully, that they may 
retain their shape, and cook them thoroughly. 

English Mutton Sausages. — Take cold roast mutton ; cut it in 
as large slices as possible. Then take bread crumbs, sweet herbs, 
salt, and pepper, wet them with an e.g^, and put a small quantity 
in the centre of each slice. Eoll each slice by itself, and tie it 
up as tight as you can. In cooking, lay them in hot melted 
butter, and cook until brown and crisp. 

Mutton Chop. — Broil over a quick fire, sprinkle a little salt 
on it while cooking ; turn often, and, wdien done, season well 
with butter, salt, and pepper. 

Broiled Veal. — Work together a small piece of butter and a 
little flour in a new baking pan ; add cold water, and set it over 
the fire, sprinkling in salt and pepper. When the meat has been 
on the gridiron a few moments, take it up, dip it into the gravy 
(before mentioned), and return it again to the gridiron. Eepeat 
tliis process two or three times, until the meat is cooked, when 



34 BREAKFAST. 



pour the gravy over it and serve. Veal is not as dry when 
cooked in this way. 

Gridirons. — The Escurial. — Philip IL, of Spain, having won 
a battle on the 10th of August, the festival of St. Lawrence, 
vowed to consecrate a palace, a church, and a monastery to his 
honor. He erected the Escurial, which is the largest palace in 
Europe. As this Saint suffered martyrdom by being broiled on a 
gridiron, (at Kome under Valerian,) Philip caused this immense 
palace to consist of several courts and quadrangles, all disposed 
in the shape of a gridiron. The bars form several courts ; and 
the royal family occupy the handle. It is said that gridirons are 
to be met with in every part of the building, either iron, painted, 
or sculptured in marble, etc. They are over the doors in the 
yards, the windows, and galleries. 

Broiled Ham and Eggs. — Cut the ham in thin slices, take off 
the rind, wash them in cold water, and lay them on the gridiron 
over quick coals. Turn frequently, and they will soon be broiled. 
Take them up on a platter (previously warmed), butter and pepper 
the ham. Have ready on the lire a pan of boiling water from 
the tea-kettle ; break into it as many eggs as you require for 
your family, and when " the white " is done, dip out each Qgg 
carefully with a spoon, so as to keep it whole, and set it on one 
of the slices of ham. In that way arrange them handsomely on 
the dish. Sprinkle pepper over each Qgg, and serve. 

In the Province of La Mancha, (Spain,) the phrase " the grace 
of God " is ajDplied to a dish of eggs and bacon fried in honey. 
* — Cervantes. 

Broiled Pigeons. — Take young and tender pigeons, split them 
open in the back, roll them so as to break the bones, lay them on 



MEATS, FISH, AND OMELETTES. 3c 



the gridiron, and put a tin cover over tliem. Watch them closely, 
and turn them two or three times. When nearly cooked, dip the 
pigeons in melted butter, and lay them back on the gridiron. 
After you take them up, salt and pepper a little. 

Veal Bewitched. — Take the hind-quarter of veal, three slices of 
salt pork, three slices of bread, three eggs, salt and pepper to your 
taste. Chop the meat, pork, and bread fine, add the beaten eggs, 
and wet the whole quite soft with milk. Put it into a baking 
dish, and bake two hours. When done, it will turn out in the 
form of the dish. To be sliced and eaten cold. 

Tnjje. — When tripe comes from the hands of the butcher, it is 
generally cleaned ; it is only necessary, therefore, for the cook to 
soak it in salt and water for four or five days, changing the 
water every day. Then cut it into pieces, scrape and rinse them ; 
boil them until tender, and drop them in a jar of spiced vinegar. 
After two or three days it may be eaten cold, or broiled for a 
minute on the gridiron. Butter and pepper to your taste. 

This is a nice breakfast dish. 

Pickled Goose. [A German hreahfast dish.) — Boil a young goose, 
take the breast, and the flesh from the legs, and pour hot spiced 
vinegar over it ; when cool, put it in a jar, and cork it up. It 
will keep all winter. 

Meat Biscuit. — This preparation, containing much nutriment 
in a small bulk, has been contrived for the use of seamen. Good 
wheat flour, or other meal, is mixed with a concentrated fluid 
extract of flesh, w^hich is strained through a wire cloth, and freed 
from fat. The dough thus formed is made into biscuit, which 
must be preserved in mass or coarse powder, free from moisture, 
in gutta-percha bags, or air-tight cases. To prepare a pint of 



36 BREAKFAST. 



soup, «aii ounce of the powdered biscuit, first made into a thiu 
paste with cold -water, is stirred into sufficient boiling water, and 
the whole boiled for twenty minutes. Salt and pepper are then 
added to suit the taste. 

Fi'mmicaii is made by mixing muscular flesh, cut in thin strips, 
thoroughly dried, and reduced to powder, with melted fat. 

Liver Cheese. — Boil a beef's liver, heart, and tongue ; remove 
all the hard and sinewy parts, and chop the remainder fine ; add 
to this half a pound of boiled pork, also chopped fine ; season it 
all well ; then tie it in a cloth, or put it into a pan, and press it 
hard. After standing a few hours, it will come out in a solid 
cake, and is very nice to slice from, for eating at breakfast or 
supper. 

Broiled Chickens. — Split the chicken in two parts, and roll it 
gently to reduce the bones. Put the halves in a pan, with water 
enough to cover them ; when heated through, lay them on a grid- 
iron, and broil them. When nearly done, salt and pepper them ; 
and, when cooked, serve with plenty of butter. 

Broiled Fresh Fish. — After the fish is cleaned, wash it well, 
and sprinkle as much salt upon it as it requires for cooking. 
"When it has been in the salt a few hours, hang it in the chimney- 
corner all night, if it is to be cooked in the morning. 

Butter the bars of the gridiron, lay the inside of the fish upon 
it, and, when that side is done, turn it. Cook it slowly, and 
butter it well when served. 

• 

Broiled Salt Fish. — Salt shad or mackerel should soak several 
hours in cold water, previous to cooking. Change the water, 
scrape the tisli, and hang it to drain ftn* a short time ; then butter 



MEATS, FISH, AXD OMELETTES. 37 

the bars of the gridiron, and sprinkle a little flour on the inside 
of the fish, to prevent its sticking to the gridiron. Cut the fish 
into two parts, (lengthwise,) lay the thickest side towards the fire, 
and do not turn the fish until that side appears cooked, then turn 
carefully. 

When the fish is done, take it up in a tin pan, pour boiling 
water from the tea-kettle over it, and let it stand for five minutes. 
Then turn ofi^ the water, butter it and serve. 

The Callipeva, called by some the salmon of the tropics, is in 
high favor in the West Indies, on account of its delicious flavor. 
" When cut in slices, folded in tissue paper, and lightly fried, 
nothing can surpass it." 

Indian Method of Broiling Fresh Fish. — They take a fish fresh 
from the water, cut out the entrails, and, without removing the 
scales, wash it clean, dry it in a cloth or in grease, and cover it 
all over with clear, hot ashes. When the flesh will part from the 
bone, they draw it out of the ashes, strip off the skin, and it is 
fit for the table of the most fastidious epicure. — Mrs. Moodie. 

The modes of preserving fish are various ; they are salted and 
dried, smoked and potted, baked and preserved in oil. Sev- 
eral savage nations possess the art of preparing fish in a variety 
of ways, even as a kind of flour, bread, etc. 

Potted Shad. {A Quaker Dish). — Wash the shad in salt and 
water, wipe it dry with a clothj_ season it with pepper and salt as 
for broiling. Cut it in square pieces, about the size you ordinarily 
cut when serving at table. Put a layer of these pieces in the bot- 
tom of a jar, sprinkling in a few cloves, allspice and mace ; do the 
same with each layer, until the jar or pot is filled. Pour over all 
good cider vinegar to the top. Grease a paper with butter, and 



38 BREAKFAST. 



fit it to the size of the pot. Make a paste of liour and water, 
roll it out thin like pie-crust, and cover the jar, j)ressing it closel^; 
around the sides to exclude the air. Send it to the baker's, with 
instructions to put it in the oven when the bread comes out, to re- 
main there until he requires his oven for the afternoon baking ; to 
put it in again, when his bread is out in the afternoon, and let it 
remain in all night. Shad thus prepared makes a nice relish ; is 
suitable for supper as well as for breakfast. 

Fried Oysters. — Dip each oyster in egg-batter, or simply in 
beaten egg, then in cracker-crumbs rolled very fine ; lay them in 
melted butter, brown them, turn quickly and serve. 

' Broiled Oysters. — Take large-sized oysters, salt and pepper 
them, dip them in beaten yolk of egg and afterwards in cracker- 
crumbs ; roll each in a small piece of buttered paper, and lay it 
on the gridiron. They form a delicate dish for invalids. 

FicJcled Oysters. — Open your oysters from the shell, save the 
liquor and strain it ; then scald it by a slow fire and skim it ; 
put in the oysters, a few at a time, as in doing them in large 
quantities they will be in danger of burning ; if the liquor be 
thick, mix wdth it a little salt and water to harden and plump 
them ; do not overdo them, this your sight and taste will dis- 
cover. The fire must be slow. After they are taken out, spice 
the liquor to your taste and scald it again. When cdl is cold, 
pack down the oysters and pour the liquor over them. To one 
gallon of oysters, add a pint of white wine ; but no vinegar. 



Frogs. — The consumption of frogs is not now, as formerly, 
confined to the French. An Englisli paper, the Athenoeum, re- 
cently came out in favor of frogs : " There is no reason," it re- 
marks, " why we should eschew frogs, and relish turtle." They 



MEATS', TISH, AND 0:S[ELETTES. 3D 

are eaten to a considerable extent by Americans ; and frogs com 
mand a high price in the New York market. " In America, the 
flesh of the huge bull-frog is tender, white, and affords excellent 
eating. Some bull-frogs weigh as much as half-a-pound, but the 
hind legs are the only parts used as food." The green, or edible 
frog, is in high request on the Continent of Europe, being deli- 
cate and well-tasted. In Vienna, where the consumption of these 
frogs is very considerable, they are preserved alive, and fattened 
in froggeries {grenouillieres) constructed for the express purpose. 

To Cooh Frogs. — Take the hind legs of a young frog, skin 
them — wash, and /?•?/ them in butter ; or broil them. They are 
as delicate as the breast of a chicken. 

Queen Elizabeth, out of compliment to her royal French suitor, 
the Due d'Alencon, cherished the jewelled similitude of ^ frog in 
her bosom, in the form of a brooch. 

Eels. — After eels are skinned and dressed, they should be 
salted on both sides, leaving them on a plate over night. In the 
morningjliang each on a nail in your kitchen, piercing a hole near 
the head by which to hang it. Let them hang thus until the next 
morning, viz. : 24 hours. Then before cooking them, cut each eel 
into pieces a finger in length. Broil them over a quick fire, turn- 
ing them frequently. Butter, salt and pepper them when cooked. 

It is said that Thomas a Becket gave £5 on one occasion for 
a dish of eels. A lamprey is a species of eel. 

Stewed Lamprey. — Lines on the death of Henry I., of England, 
by Kobert of Gloucester : — 

" When "he came Tiome, "lie willed him a lamprey to eat, 

Though his leeches him forbade, for it was a feeble meat ; 

But he would not them believe, for he loved it well cnoio, 

And eat in evil case, for the lamprey it him slew, 
. For right soon after it into anguish him drew, 

And he died for his lamprey unto his own woe." 



40 BKEAKFAST. 

Alexander Pope was extravagantly fond of potted lampreys 
Some of his friends imputed his death to his having eaten a dish 
of them. 

Fried Fish. — If the fish are large, cut them in pieces, wipe 
them dry with a cloth, dip them in beaten egg, and. afterwards in 
bread, or cracker crumbs, or in Indian meal. Lay them in the 
heated melted butter, and fry until brown, sprinkling a little salt 
and pepper over them. Then turn them and brown on the other 
side. Be particular that the butter be hot when you lay the fish 
in, for it is important that fried fish be not greasy ; this they surely 
will be if laid, into fat not sufliciently hot. First try the fat with 
bread crumbs, and if this brown nicely without burning, you have 
the riii'ht heat. 



'o 



A traveller in Peru, tells us of a great dalicacj called chantisa, 
which is prepared in the following manner : — The fish are pre- 
served by using as much salt as is necessary to season them. 
They are then put into baskets lined with leaves, and a large 
stone is placed on the top, to press them into a solid mass, like a 
cheese. After standing a day or two, a small fire of cedar, or 
some aromatic wood, is kindled underneath, to smoke them. After 
remaining 10 or 12 hours, the cakes are taken out of the baskets 
and again exposed to the smoke, till it has penetrated through 
them, when they are laid up for use. A small portion of the 
smoked chantisa is generally added to fish while cooking, to which 
it communicates a very delicate flavor. 

To detect poor Eggs. — Take them to a dark place, and hold 
them between the eye and a lighted candle or lamp. If the egg 
is good, the light will shine through with a reddish glow, — while 
if the egg is stale, it will be opaque or dark. "^ 

Recette de la Fondue. — " Weigh the number of eggs, which 



MEATS, FISH, AND OMELETTES. 4] 

you wish to make use of, according to the expected number of 
guests. You then take a piece of good Swiss cheese weighing a 
quarter, and a piece of butter weighing a sixth of this weight. 

" You must break and beat well the eggs in a stew-pan, after 
which you put in the butter, and the cheese grated or cut thin. 

" Put the pan on the stove, (which should have a brisk fire,) 
and turn with a spoon until the mixture is sufficiently thick and 
soft. 

"Put in little or no salt, according as the cheese is more or 
less old, and a large supply of pepper, which is one of the positive 
charms of this ancient dish. Serve it upon a dish slightly 
warmed ; and w^ith it drink your best wine, and you will see 
wonders." — M. Savarin. 

Omelette or French egg cake. — Beat up thoroughly six eggs, 
a tea-spoonful of sweet cream or milk, and some salt, and fry in 
a pan, in which there is half an ounce of melted butter, over a 
quick fire. In order that the omelette may remain juicy and soft, 
it is necessary that the pans hould be hot before the eggs are 
poured in ; during the frying, move the pan continually to and 
fro, so that what is below may always come on top again ; you 
may help it with the fork ; continue this till there has formed a 
cake four inches in width, and one inch thick ; now hold the pan 
still for a moment to give the omelette a color, then turn it out on 
the proper dish and serve immediately. 

Soyer''s Omelette. — Break four eggs into a basin, add half a 
tea-spoonful of salt, a quarter of a spoonful of pepper, beat them 
up well with a fork, put into the frying-pan one ounce and a half 
of butter, which is put on the fire until hot ; then pour in the eggs, 
which keep on mixing quick with a spoon, until all is delicately 
set ; then let them slip to the edge of the pan, laying hold by the 
handle and raising it slantways, which will give an elongated 



42 BREAKFAST. 



form to the omelette ; turn in the edges, let it set a moment, and 
turn it over on to a dish and serve. 

It ought to be a nice yellow color, done to a nicety, and as 
light and delicate as possible. 

The pan in which omelettes are cooked should be free from 
damp, therefore put it on the fire, with a little butter ; let this 
get hot ; remove it, wiping the pan with a dry cloth and then 
you will be able to make the omelette in perfection. 

Fowls' eggs variously colored are in high favor with our 
foreign population at Easter ; they also form a part of all the 
Malay entertainments in Borneo. 

" An Ostrich egg is considered equal in its contents to 24 
of the domestic hen. When taken fresh from the nest they are 
very palatable, and are wholesome, though somewhat heavy food. 
The best mode of cooking them is, to place one end of the egg in 
hot ashes, and making a small orifice at the other, to keep stirring 
the contents with a stick, till they are sufficiently roasted ; and 
thus, M'ith a seasoning of salt and pepper, you have a nice ome- 
lette." 

Here is breakfjist ready laid. Imprimis, tea and coffee ; 
second, dry toast ; third, butter ; fourth, eggs ; fifth, ham ; sixtli, 
something potted ; seventh, bread, salt, mustard, knives, forks, etc. 
One of the first things that belong to breakfast is a good fire. 
There is a delightful mixture of the lively and snug in coming 
down into one's breakfast room of a cold morning, and finding 
every thing prepared for us ; a blazing grate, clean table-cloth, and 
tea-things, newly washed fjxces and combed heads of a set of good- 
humored urchins, and the sole empty chair ready for its occu- 
pant. — Leigh Hunt. 



A CALL TO BREAKFAST. 4S 



A CALL TO BREAKFAST. 

Breakfast ! come to breakfast ! 

Little ones and all, — 
How their merry footsteps 

Patter at the call ! 
Break the bread ; pour freely 

Milk that cream-like flows ; 
A blessing on their appetites 

And on their lips of rose. 

Breakfast ! summer breakfixst ! 

Throw the casement high, 
And catch the warblers' carol 

On glad wing glancing by. 
Set flowers upon your table 

Impearled with dew-drops rare, 
For still their fragrance speaks of Him 

Who made this earth so fair. 

Breakfast ! winter breakfast ! 
Recruit the blazing fire ; 

Heap coal upon the glowing grate. 
Or fill the furnace higher. 

Though drifted snows descending- 
May whiten field and bower, 

Where loving hearts are true and warm, 
King Frost hath little power. 

Dinner may be pleasant, 

So may social tea ; 
But yet, methinks the breakfast 

Is best of all the three : 
With its greeting smile of welcome, 

Its holy voice of prayer. 
It forgeth heavenly armor 

To foil the hosts of care. 

Breakfast ! come to breakfast ! 

Some there are who hear 
No such household music 

Ringing on their ear. 



44 BREAKFAST. 



AVilt thou from thy store-house 

Cheor them when they pine — 
Shedding blessed sunbeams 

On their day and thine? 

Mrs. Sigolrney. 

Sa}/in(/ (jracc. — The form of the benediction before eating has 
its peculiar beauty at a poor man's table, or at the simple and 
unprovocative repasts of children. It is here that the grace be- 
comes exceeduiij-lv graceful. The indigent man who hardlv knows 
whether he shall have a meal the next day or not, sits down to 
his fare with a present sense of the blessing, which can be but 
feebly acted by the rich, into whose minds the conception of 
wanting a meal, could never, but by some extreme tlieory, have 
entered. — Charles Lamb. 

Before mv meals and afler, I let mvself loose Jfrom all 
thoughts, and now would forget that I ever studied ; a full mind 
takes away the body's appetite no less tlian a full body makes a 
dull and unwieldy mind ; company, discourse, recreations are 
now seasonable and welcome ; these prepare me for a diet, not 
gluttonous, but medicinal ; the palate may not be pleased, but 
the stomach, nor that for its own sake ; neither would I think any 
of these comforts worth respect in themselves, but in their use, 
in their end. so far as they may enable me to better things. If I 
see any dish to tempt my palate, I fear a serpent in that apple, 
and would please myself in a wilful denial ; I rise capable of 
more, not desirous ; not now immediately from my ti*eucher to 
my book, but atler some intermission. — Bishop Hall. 



COOKS AND COOKERY. 45 



COOKS AND COOKERY. 

" To cookery we owe well-ordered states 
Assembling nieu in dear society. 

* * beneath the earth lay hid 

The precious salt, that gold of cookery ! 
And when its particles the palate thrilled, 
The source of seasonings, cliarm of cookery, came. 
They served a paunch, with rich ingredients stored, 
And tender kid, within two covering plates, 
"Warm melted in the mouth. So art improved ! 
At length a miracle, not yet performed, 
They minced the meat, which rolled in herbage soft, 
Nor meat nor herbage seemed, but to the eye, 
And to the taste, the counterfeited dish 
Mimick'd some curious fish; invention rare.' 
Then every dish was seasoned more and more, 
Salted, or sour, or sweet, and mingled oft 
Oatmeal and honey. To enjoy the meal 
Men congregated in the populous towns. 
And cities flourished, which we cooks adorned 
With all the pleasures of domestic life." 

The culinary art is as old as the human race. As man had 
control given him over all the animal and vegetable world, he 
very soon contrived to make every thing useful to himself ; and 
'in providing for the claims of hunger, he followed the first dictates 
of nature. Such articles of food as were not palatable in their 
natural state, he made so by mixing them with others agreeable 
to the taste, or by submitting them to the action of fire. 

An early instance of skill in cooking is given in the case of 
Rebecca, who dressed the flesh of a young kid after the manner 
of venison, when she wished to ol)tain the blessing for her favor 
ite son. 

A similar proof of the progress of the ancients in the culi- 



46 BREAKFAST. 



nary art, is shown in the anecdote of the King of Bithynia, who, 
in some expedition against the Scythians, in the winter, and at a 
great distance from the sea, had a violent longing for a small fish 
called aphy. Ilis cook cnt a ^?/?vn/> into the exact shape of the 
fish, fried it in oil, salted, and well powdered it with the grains 
of a dozen black poppies^ and served it before the king. His 
majesty's taste was so exc^uisitely deceived, that he praised the 
root to his guests as a most excellent fish ! 

The Queen of Caria, who had been assisted by Alexander 
tlie Great, in order to express her affectionate regards, sent him 
every day a number of excellent dishes and a handsome dessert ; 
at last she sent to him some of her best cooks and bakers. 

Although this last gift was rejected by Alexander, it was none 
the less a mark of high tavor, and indicates tlie value set upon 
these personages in the houses of the opulent and noble. 

As luxury and refinement spread from Asia into Europe, a 
flistidious taste in eatinsr arose amona^ the Greeks, and with them 
all the resources of the cook were called into requisition. 

Cooks were hired or purchased at enormous prices, those from 
Sicily being particularly valued for their great skill. Sparta 
alone resisted the advance of luxury and the introduction of 
foreign cooks. On one occasion her magistrates expelled a 
Sicilian cook fi'om the city, observing, " that the aid of ^ly thicus 
was umiecessary, as hunger was the best seasoning." 

At Athens, the chief cook, when directed to prepare a feast, 
not only inquired the number of guests expected, but also iclw^ 
and what they were, that he might adapt the dishes to their 
various tastes. Thus he is represented by one of the poets as 
asking : — 

Cool'. What IS the uumber of the guests invited 
• To this tine marriage feast? And are they all 

Athenian citizens, or are there some 
Foreiiiners and merchants? 



COOKS AND COOKERY. 47 



B. What is that to you, 
Since you are but the cook to dress the dinner? 

CooTc. It is the first part of my art, father, 

To know the tastes of those who are to eat. 

For instance, if you ask a Rhodian, 

Set a fine shad or lebias before him. 

Well boiled and hot, the moment that he enters. 

That's what he likes ; he '11 like it better so 

Than, if you add a cup of myrine wine. 

B. Well, that idea of shads is not a bad one. 

Cooh. Then, if a Byzantine should be your guest. 

Steep all you ofier such a man in wormwood. 

And let your dishes taste of salt and garlic ; 

For fish are all so plenty in their country 

That the men all are full of rheum and phlegm. 

If some guests from the islands come, 

Who always feed on fish of every sort 

Fresh from the sea,— such men like not salt dishes. 

But think them make-shifts. Give such men their food 

Well seasoned, forced, and stufied with choicest sp'.ces. 

* * * * * * •♦ 

I like to see the faces of the guests, 
To feed them as their age and station claim ; 
If my young royster be a mettled spark. 
Who melts an acre in a savory dish 
To charm his mistress, scuttle-fish and crabs, 
And all the shelly race, with mixture due 
Of cordials filtered, exquisitely rich ; 
To ix jphiloso^pher — that animal 
Voracious — solid ham and bulky feet ; 
But to iliQ financier, with costly niceness, 
Glociscus rare, or rarity more rare. 
Insensible the palate of old age ; 
More difficult than the soft lips of youth 
To move— I put much mustard in their dish ; 
With quickening sauces make the stupor keen. 
And lash the lazy blood that creeps within. 

That he ruled in the kitchen with a full consciousness of his 
own importance, is thus displayed : — 



48 BREAKFAST. 



I never cuter iu my kitchen, I ! 

But sit apart, and in the cool, direct, 

Observant of what passes, scullions toil. 

1 guide the mighty whole, 

Explore the causes, prophesy the dish. 

'Tis thus I speak : " Leave, leave that ponderous ham ; 

Keep up the tire, and lively play the flame 

Beneath those lobster patties ; " " patient here. 

Fixed as a statue, skim, incessant skim." 

" Steep well this small f/Iocii^ci/s'^ in its sauce. 

And boil that sea-dog in a cullender.'' 

*' This eel requires more salt and marjoram ; " 

" Roast well that piece of kid on either side 

Equal ; " " that sweet-bread boil not over much." 

'Tis thus, my friend, I make the concert play. 

•Js- * *■ * * * 

And then no useless dish my table crowds. 
Harmonious ranged, and consonantly just, 
As in a concert instruments resound. 
My ordered dishes iu their courses chime. 

Trials of Cools. — That the office of cook is not exempt from 
its peculiar trials is certain ; one of these which has troubled 
many a modern cook, is particularly mentioned in ancient 
records. 

A young Greek who had the curiosity to visit Antony's 
kitchen, saw amongst other things eight wild boars roasting whole 
at the same time. Upon which he expressed surprise at the 
great number of guests that he supposed were to be at the sup- 
per. One ot^ the olficers could not forbear laughing, and told him 
that there were not so many as he imagined, and that there 
would not be above a dozen in all ; but that it was necessary 
every thing should be served in a degree of perfection, which 
every moment ceases and spoils. *• For," added he, '* it often hap- 
pens that Antony will order his supper, and a moment after for- 
bid it to be servcil. ha vino; entered into some conversation that 



COOKS AND COOKERY. 49 



diverts him. For that reason not one but many suppers are 
provided, because it is hard to know at what time he will think 
fit to have it set on the table." 

The cooks of the Emperor Napoleon I. were tried in the 
same way, by their master's becoming absorbed in business ; and 
M'e are told that they found it necessary to adopt the same course ; 
that is, when the dinner was half cooked, to commence prepara- 
tions anew, as it was impossible to tell at what hour they might 
be called to serve. 

In this connection we are reminded of the story of Vat el, the 
French cook, who destroyed his life in consequence of the morti- 
fication he felt at some deficiencies in an entertainment which he 
had directed. 

Madame Sevigne tells us that Vatel was maitre d'hotel at 
Chantilly, where the Prince of Conti gave a grand entertainment 
to Louis XIV., in 1671. There were twenty-five tables of five 
courses each, besides a great number of others, for accidental 
comers. 

It is not strange that there should have been a deficiency of 
one article of food, and we are told that two of the tables were 
deficient in le rod. 

The anxiety which had pressed so heavily on Vatel, that he 
had not slept for twelve nights, made him exceedingly mortified 
at this failure, and he said several times to his companion Gour- 
ville, that he had lost his honor, that he could not support the 
mortification. " My head turns, help me to give my orders." 
Gourville assisted him all he could, but " le roti" was ever re- 
turning to his mind. At last Gourville went to the prmce and 
begged him to speak to Vatel. The prince came and said to him^ 
" All went well, Vatel; the supper of the king was very fine.'' 
" Monsieur, your kindness overcomes me ; I know that the roti 
failed at two tables." The prince endeavored to encourage him 
by praise, but all to no purpose. 
4 



50 BREAKFAST. 



At four o'clock in the morning, Vatel went out while all 
were asleep, and made inquiries about some fish which he was 
expecting, having sent orders to all the seaports to have a large 
quantity sent to Chantilly. The purveyor knew nothing of 
these orders, and showing a small number said, " These are all 
we have." Vatel waited some time, the other purveyors did not 
arrive, and he believed no more fish would be brought. His 
head burned ; he found Gourville and said, " I cannot survive 
this mortification. Gourville laughed at him. He ascended to 
his chamber, ran his sword three times into his body, and fell 
dead. Not long after, the fish arrived from all quarters ; the 
cooks waited in vain for Vatel to distribute them. They at last 
forced open his door, and he was found drowned in his blood. 

Rewards to Cooks. — Cooks have on various occasions been 
handsomely rewarded by monarchs for their skill in preparing 
some favorite dish, or for having presented it at a very opportune 
time. The skill of a Roman cook in j)reparing a good supper so 
pleased Mark Antony that he gave him the house of a Roman 
citizen. William the Conqueror granted the manor of Addington 
to Tezlin his cook, because he had composed a dish of white soup 
called dilUgrout^ which especially pleased the royal palate. 

It is recorded of Henry VIII., that he raised a servant to a 
considerable dignity, because he had taken care to have a roasted 
boar prepared for his mtyesty, when Henry happened to be in a 
humor of feasting on one. The widow of a Mr. CoruAvallis Avas 
rewarded by the gift of a dissolved priory for some fine puddings 
which she had presented his majesty. The Emperor Charles V. 
visited the grave, and erected a monument to the memory of 
Benkels, who invented the process for preserving the fish of Hol- 
land in a pickle. 

In the middle ages the master cook and the provost of the 
cooks in the king's household, were officers of dignity and emolu- 



COOKS AND COOKERY. 5] 

ments, and the king's gardener was often a clergyman of high 
rank. The king's bakers and brewers in Scotland received 
hereditary grants of land for their services. 

The rivalry and jealousy which so generally prevails among 
members of the same profession is not wanting among cooks, 
who fully verify the truth of the adage that " two of a trade can 
never agree." Many contests have taken place among them, in 
which they have endeavored to outdo each other in the variety 
and costliness of their dishes. When these contests have occur- 
red between natives of different countries, more than ordinary 
feeling is aroused, for they consider their national as well as per- 
sonal honor at stake. In a strife between an English and a 
French cook, the former must of necessity be defeated, since the 
fertile imagination of the Frenchman is sure to invent combina- 
tions which the Englishman had never dreamed of. On one of 
these occasions an Englishman resorted to another mode of 
defeating his antagonist than by competing with him in the 
variety of his dishes, and accomplished by his wit, what he could 
not gain by his skill. 

During a truce between England and France, the cook of a 
marshal of France invited the Duke of Marlborough's cook to dine 
with him ; the Frenchman had at his entertainment all the ex- 
traordinary kickshaws which the fertile imagination of his coun- 
try's art could invent, or his own whirhs produce ; the English- 
man allowed him to be a prodigious master in the culinary pro- 
fession, and on a certain day invited him to return the visit. The 
day arrived and the guests came ; and when all were in expectation 
of a master stroke in giving some dishes a false appearance, or 
in the artful seasoning of others, there was brought in a plain 
sirloin of beef, and a plum pudding. After a short surprise, " Sir," 
said the Frenchman, " this is so uncommon a dish on this occa- 
sion, that I did not expect anything like it." To which the other 



62 BREAKFAST. 



replied, '" Monsieur, this is a dish proper for every Englishman 
to be proud of; this dish has carried my countrymen twice 
throufjh France already, and I don't doubt but it will the third 
time." 

Cookery, as a science, has employed the talents of Lord Bacon, ' 
Drs. Hunter, Kitchener, and Count Eumford, and many of the 
distinguished men of France. M. Talleyrand, the Marquis de 
Cussy, M. Brillat-Savarin, and others, have treated of it at 
length. They invented new dishes, some of which are still fa- 
mous, bearing the names of their inventors. Gastronomy, or the 
science of good eating, was regarded by them of first importance ; 
one of them, M. Savarin, asserting, " that the destiny of nations 
depends upon the manner in which they are fed." Their cooks 
were noted for their skill in their profession, and for the high 
value they set u2)on it. To constantly improve and progress in 
the art was their aim and study. Thus, Careme, the well-known 
French cook, in the house of M. de Talleyrand, says in his Eemi- 
niscences, that he had always the habit of noting in the evening 
upon his return home, the modifications which he had made in his 
work during the preceding day — " AYith pen in hand, I put down 
my reasons for so doing. This accounts for my progress in the 
art. There is always in every thing a way which is at the mo- 
ment, the best and most convenient ; the sagacity of ready wit 
will recognize this. I was working in the house of the Prince de 
Talleyrand in 1814, when the Emperor Alexander arrived in 
Paris. Some days after, I was sent for, and I followed this sove- 
reign to the Elysee-Napoleon. There I obtained the friendship 
and protection of the controlleur of his house, M. Muller, and 
under his direction became chef cles cuisines to the Emperor. At 
this period of my life, I was thrown into the most active and ex- 
tended service, yet I did not renounce my habit of writing down 
every evening what I had altered, or modified, or done over dur- 



COOKS AND COOKERY. 5 b 

ing the day, fixing thereby those ideas and combinations which 
would have otherwise escaped my memory." 

How difficult it is to become perfect in this art, according to 
the French view of it, we may perceive from the remarks of the 
famous cook, Louis Eustache Ude, upon the subject. He says : — 
"What science demands more study than cookery? Every man 
is not born with the qualifications necessary to constitute a good 
cook. I shall demonstrate the difficulty of the art, by offering a 
few observations on some other arts. Music, dancing, fencing, 
painting and mechanics, in general, possess professors under 
twenty years of age, whereas, in the first line of cooking, pre-em- 
inence never occurs under thirty. We see daily at concerts and 
academies, young men and women who display the greatest abili- 
ties ; but in our line, nothing hut the most consummate experience 
can elevate a man to the rank of chief professor. Cookery is an 
art appreciated by only a very few individuals, and which requires, 
in addition to a most diligent and studious application, no small 
share of intellect, and the strictest sobriety and punctuality ; — 
there are cooks, and cooks as there are painters ; the difficulty 
lies in finding the perfect one ; and I dare assert, that the noble- 
man who has in his service a thorough good one, ought to be as 
proud of the acquisiticm, as of possessing in his gallery a genu- 
ine production of the pencil of Kubens, Eaphael or Titian." 

With such ideas of the dignity of his calling, it is no wonder 
that the French cook excels those of all other nations, and that 
his fame is world-wide. He esteems it important to society, an 
honorable vocation, and worthy of careful attention, — consequent- 
ly he has attained excellence in it. Other nations have valued it 
less, and therefore neglected it. In America, where the knowl- 
edge and practice of it is almost entirely confined to woman, it 
has not been regarded as a science, or as requiring any but ordi- 
nary attention. A large majority of the cooks work on from 
habit, trusting their success or failure to luch, as they term it. In 



54 BREAKFAST. 



any other calling, they would concede that an attention to rules 
and principles was necessary and indispensable to a proper prac- 
tice ; why not, then, in cookery ? Valuable as experience is, it is 
not experience alone upon which success depends; a thorough 
and careful acquaintance with the results of certain mixtures, the 
action of heat upon them, chemical affinities, etc., early acquired, 
would prevent many a lamentable failure. In this age, when 
w^oman claims to be able to do whatever man can do where mere 
physical strength is not in question, w^ould it not be well for her 
to emulate him in that business which belongs particularly to her 
province, and to look upon it in a larger and broader sense. If 
the maxim of one of the French gastronomers be true, " Tell me 
what thou eatest, and I will tell thee what thou art," how largely 
may the provision she makes for her household affect their future 
pursuits and tastes. Woman is peculiarly fitted to excel in the light 
and delicate cookery — "patisserie" — which French genius has 
carried to such perfection. Her delicate hands are admirably 
adapted to the moulding of beautiful designs, her ready wit, quick 
to discern cause and effect, and her cultivated taste to make every 
thing harmonize and form an appropriate whole. 

A knowledge of cookery is useful in every condition of life ; 
since misfortune, exile, shipwreck, and their consequent destitu- 
tion, have compelled thousands to cook and serve their own repasts. 
Even royalty itself has not been exempted from this necessity. 
Charles the Second's long wanderings and concealment, led him 
to acquire considerable dexterity in preparing his dinner. As an 
instance of this, it is related, that "After his concealment in 
Boscobel ^Yood for some days, during which time he was supplied 
with food by a few friends whenever they could safely take it to 
him, his friend. Colonel Carlis, took him to his house, and as the 
king's appetite was pretty keen from the fasting to which he had 
submitted, the colonel killed a sheep privately ; then the king 
took a knife and trencher, and from a leg cut some of the mut- 



COOKS AND COOKERY. 55 



ton into collops, pricked them with the knife-point, called for a 
frying-pan and butter, and fried them himself, of which he ate 
heartily ; the colonel waiting uj)on him, and assisting him. After- 
wards, in the king's prosperous days, he used jokingly to call the 
circumstance to mind, and propose it as a problem, whether he or 
the colonel were the master-cook at Boscobel — and the supremacy 
was always by right adjudged to his majesty." 

A somewhat different result awaited the efforts of the Prince 
de Conde, who, accompanied by a few friends, was once traversing 
France in disguise, and reaching a little public-house some hours 
after nightfall, he volunteered to cook an omelette for the whole 
party. " The hand, however, which could wield the truncheon 
with such effect, proved somewhat too violent for the frying-pan, 
and in the attempt to turn the omelette, he threw the Avhole his- 
sing mass into the fire." — James's Life of Louis XIV. 

We will close our remarks upon cooks and their art, by giving 
a slight notice of one who employed his skill in his profession to 
the noble purpose of benefiting his fellow-men, and whose recent 
death has caused much regret in the English and French nations, — 
M. Alexis Soyer, so well known at the present day for his talents 
as chef de cuisine, and also for his works on Gastronomy. At the 
time of the famine in Ireland, in 1847, he opened a kitchen in 
the Square, at Dublin, where he fed sometimes four or five thou- 
sand poor people in a day with excellent food, prepared at a mod- 
erate cost. During the recent war with Russia, when the sick 
and wounded of the allied armies were suffering greatly both in 
the hospitals at Scutari and in the Crimea, for want of proper 
food, M. Soyer offered his services gratuitously to the British Gov- 
ernment, as superintendent of the culinary department ; which, 
being accepted, he proceeded immediately to the seat of war, and 
rendered most valuable aid to the suffering armies. When he 
arrived at the Scutari hospitals, and inspected the departments, 
he found every thing connected with the kitchens ill managed, 



50 BKEAKFAST. 



disorderly, and exceptionable. A general scramble took place 
among the soldiers at dinner-time, for tlie soup and meat, which 
were then distributed. These were not of the right quality, and 
the vegetables Avere all stale. Within a week M. Soyer corrected 
these evils, showing the men how to make good soups out of ma- 
terials before thrown away, and introducing order in the eating 
arrangements. He had the cooking contined io one spacious 
room, that he might superintend the whole personally. He wrote 
receipts for the cooks, and so trained them as to make all profi- 
cients in their department. At Balaklava he performed the same 
services, for the same difficulties existed here. He had invented 
a new camp-cooking stove, and upon its introduction, he sent in- 
vitations to the chief officers of the allied armies, to visit, upon a 
certain day, his department, to witness tlie working of the stoves. 
They came about three o'clock ; found the stoves placed in the 
open air in the form of a semi-ciivle, and so arranged that al- 
though the cooking was going on. no lire could be seen except by 
raising the lids. 

This was a very important feature, since no light must be 
seen when the men used the stoves in the trenches. The bill of 
tare on this occasion consisted of plain-boiled salt beef; the same 
with dumplings ; plain-boiled salt pork ; the same with peas-pud- 
ding ; stewed salt pork and beef with rice ; French pot-au-feu : 
stewed fresh beef with potatoes; stewed mutton with haricot 
beans ; ox-cheek and ox-feet soups ; Scotch mutton-broth ; and 
curry, made with fresh and salt beef. Thus there were quite a 
variety of messes prepared out of the ordinary rations of the sol- 
diers, introducing some ingredients which could be added without 
any increased expense, yet which would make the food more pal- 
atable and more healthy. All the officers tasted of the dilierent 
kinds of fcx"»d, and pronounced them excellent, while the chef de 
cuisine explained to them the construction of his apparatus and its 
mode of operation. It was very simple, cleanly and economical. 



COOKS AND COOKERY. 57 



There was no difficulty in regulating the heat for the different 
processes of cooking. The commanders were present, accompa- 
nied by a numerous staff; all evinced a hearty approbation, and 
from this time the care of the culinary department was fairly in 
the hands of M. Soyer. This exhibition took place about a 
month before the capture of Sebastopol. M. Soyer died in the 
summer of 1857, much regretted by the French nation, and high- 
ly esteemed by the English ; he had dignified his calling by his 
faithful and noble discharge of its duties, and may justly be re- 
garded as a benefactor to his fellow-men. 



PART 11. 

D I N N E E . 



CONTENTS. 



1. DiXXER COXSIDERED. 

2. Soup. 

3. Fish. 

4. Meats. 

5. Vegetables. 

0. Salads and PjcrcLES. 
7. Drinks. 



8. Dessert — Desserts of the Olden 

Time — Pies, Puddings, CREAMSr 

AND Jellies. 
0. Table Habits and Peculiar 

Dishes of various Nations. 
10. Dinners, Feasts, etc., of Ya- 

Rious Persons. 



DINNER 



Ashore, and Sidney's copse, 
To crown thy open table, doth provide 
The purpled pheasant with the speckled side. 
The painted partridge lies in every field, 
And for thy mess is willing to be killed. 
And if the high-swollen Medway fail thy dish, 
Thou hast thy ponds that pay the tribute fish — 
Fat, aged carps, that run into thy net, 
And pikes, now weary their own kind to eat, 
As loth the second draught a cast to stay, 
OflBciously at first themselves betray ; 
Bright eels that emulate them, and leap on land 
Before the fisher, or into his hand. 
Thou hast thy orchard fruit, thy garden flowers, 
Fresh as the air, and new as are the hours ; 
The early cherry, with the later plum. 
Fig, grape, and quince, each in his time doth come ; 
The blushing apricot and woolly peach 
Hang on thy walls, that every child may reach. 

Ben Jon'sos's Lines to Penhurst. 

We will now proceed to discuss that meal which has ever much 
engrossed the attention of men, and which has been considered 
among all people the chief meal of the day ; viz., the dinner. 
Apart from its apparent use, that of appeasing the wants of hun- 
ger, it has served in its day various other ends. The policy of 
states has often been changed, by an appropriate, an elegant, 
and a Avell-executed dinner. The suit of many a courtier has 



-JJ 



02 DINNER. 

boon forwarded by its timely assistance, and through a well- 
seasoned and well-relished dinner has many a fend been settled, 
and many a lawsuit been brought to a happy conclusion. " Make 
ready," said Joseph to his steward when the Israelitish wanderers 
appeared at his court, " make ready, for these men shall dine ivith 
me at noon." When Esther came forth in regal pomp to solicit 
mercy and protection for her countrymen, she invited the king 
and Ilanian to dinner. The celebrated ^Irs. Howard (Lad}/ 
Sutfolk) sold her own beautiful hair in order to enable her hus- 
band, then in very narrow circumstances, to give a dinner of 
policy to a great man. 

In all fashionable life, whether in London, Paris, Madrid, 
Vienna, Washington, or New York, this meal is the one above 
all others, to which is invited the distinguished stranger, or the 
beloved friend. 

To this meal, kings and nobles, knights and squires, laymen 
and priests, have each and all attached a high importance. 
" IIow shall we dine to-day ? " is the first thought in every 
i-ank of life, and of human beings everywhere. It is alike 
the tirst thought of the wealthy voluptuary, and the indi- 
gent laborer. In obtaining this universal object of desire, a 
dinner, an infmite variety of tastes has been displayed, and an 
infinite variety of dishes invented. Earth, sea, and air, have 
been ransacked to gratify the eager, yet ever-changing appetite 
of man. 

And since in humble as well as fashionable life the universal 
cry is not only how shall I dine? but hoic shall I dine well? it is 
important that the best way to accomplish this end be ascer- 
tained. 

To exercise a personal supervision over her dinner is not un- 
worthy of the most accomplished or learned woman, since she 
thereby insures the comfort and pleasure of her fimiily, and con- 
sequently her own. Lady ^lary Wortley [Montague, herself a 



DINNER. 03 



learned woman, says well, " that the most trivial concerns of 
economy become noble and elegant when exalted by sentiments 
of affection 4 to prepare a meal is not merely giving orders to my 
cook, it is an amusement to regale the object I doat on." Lady 
Ilardwick, the wife of the Lord Chancellor, so carefully regarded 
the concerns of her household, that she was able to say that " un- 
certain as was the time of the Lord Chancellor's dining, and the 
company that would attend him, yet if it should happen that he 
brought with him an ambassador, or p6rson of the highest rank, 
he never found a dinner or supper to be ashamed of." 

Mrs. Piozzi relates that Dr. Johnson used often to say in her 
hearing, " that wherQver the dinner is ill got up, there is poverty, 
or there is avarice, or there is stupidity ; in short, the family is 
somehow grossly wrong ; for a man seldom thinks with more 
earnestness of any thing than of his dinner ; and if he cannot get 
that well dressed, he should be suspected of inaccuracy in other 
things" One day when he was speaking upon the subject, Mrs. 
Piozzi asked him if he ever huffed his wife about his dinner. 
" So oflen," replied he, " that at last she called to me when about 
to say grace, and said, ' Nay, hold, Mr. Johnson, do not make a 
farce of thanking God for a dinner which in a few minutes you 
will pronounce not eatable.' " 

We cannot wonder at the wrath of the citizen, when returning 
to his home punctually at the dinner hour, he finds the ample 
materials which he has furnished, rendered uneatable by neq;lect 
and bad cookery ; indignation and wrath are but usual and 
natural consequences, when the expectant thus finds, that instead 
of good cheer, he must dine with " Michael Hodge," or fare like 
the " Bermecide." If such an occurrence, however, be only occa- 
sional in his household, an exception, and not the rule, let him be 
temperate in his wrath ; reflecting that an untoward accident, 
an unexpected interruption, or some other unavoidable circum 
stance, may have been the cause of the failure ; causes which may 



04 DINNER. 

have been as much beyond control, as those which have defeated 
many of his own well-devised plans for increasing his worldly 
goods, or for obtaining the honors and emoluments of political 
preferment. 

The Dinner Hour. — Although among the business and labor- 
ing classes of community, the hour for dining has always been 
at mid-day, among the circles of foshion there have been many 
changes respecting it ; the hour which in one period or century 
was considered highly fashionable, becoming in another period 
vulvar, and chanfijed for another. Thus in France in the thirteenth 
century, nine o'clock was the dinner hour, of which there is a say- 
ing extant : — 

" Lever a cinq, diuer a neuf, 
Souper a cinq, coucher a ueuf." 

Toi was the appointed time a century later, at which dinners 
were served both in France and England. In the fifteenth and 
sixteenth centuries, eleven was the fashionable hour. The hour 
continued to advance, till in Addison.'s time, two o'clock is men- 
tioned. Thirty years later, it was three, and so it has advanced 
until now the fashionable dinner is partaken of at any of the 
hours between Jive and nine ; the moderns imitating in this re- 
spect the ancients, who took their second meal at evening. 

The fiishionable world in thus appointing so late an hour for 
their dinner, have been obliged to recognize another meal, to be 
eaten in the middle of the day, and which, though it is entitled 
" luncheon" is nothing less than an unceremonious dinner. Mrs. 
Stowe speaks of it as such when alluding to a lunch at the Duch- 
ess of Sutherland's. She says, " The dinner which comes after it at 
eight or nine in the evening, is m comparison only a ceremonial 
proceeding. At lunch, every thing is placed upon the table at 
once, and ladies sit down without removing their hats ; children 
are also admitted at the table even in the presence of company." 



DINNER. 65 



Willis, in speaking of lunch in England, says, " At two o'clock, a 
dish or two of hot game, and a profusion of cold meats were set 
on the small tables in the dining-room, and everybody came in 
for a lounging half meal, which occupied perhaps an hour." 

Dining Halls. — Among the luxuries of Lucullus are men- 
tioned his various banqueting-rooms, each of which was named 
after one of the gods. The entertainments which he gave were 
different in kind, and to each apartment was assigned its peculiar 
feast, so that he had only to say to his servants that he would dine 
in a certain banqueting-room, and they understood perfectly what 
they were to prepare for the entertainment. Cicero and Pompey 
attempted on one occasion to surprise him, and were astonished 
at the costliness of a feast which had been prepared upon the sim- 
ple remark of Lucullus to his servant that he would sup in the 
hall of " Apollo." The Emperor Claudius named one of his 
banqueting-halls, which was of rare splendor, after Mercury. 

The magnificence of Nero in this respect, exceeded all others. 
In his palace called the golden house, the whole building being 
covered with gold, enriched with pearl and precious stones, he 
caused the roof of one of the banqueting-rooms to resemble the 
firmament, both in figure and motion, turning incessantly about? 
night and day, exhibiting new appearances as the different courses 
in the feast were removed. By means of this motion, also, the 
attendants could at pleasure make it rain down a variety of sweet 
waters or liquid perfumes. At one feast alone, 100,000 crowns 
were expended in these perfumed waters. 

In striking contrast with these magnificent Roman banquet- 
ing-rooms, we will mention the dining-halls of our English ances- 
tors in the feudal days. The grand hall of the castle was used 
entirely as the dining apartment, ornamented only in its severe 
Gothic style, and hung about with armor and various warlike 
weapons, as well as trophies of victory in the chase. In some 
5 



66 DIX>fER. 

of the priiiooly mansions built in Henry VIII.'s reign, there is a 
gallery ni the great hall, whieh extends its >vhole length, in whieh 
the lord and lady of the mansion, and their guests, assembled to 
witness the merry-makings of their retainers below. Here the 
mumming, the loaf stealing, and other Christmas sports were per- 
formed. The hearth was commonly in the middle ; hence the 
saying, " Eound about our coal hre." The floors of these halls 
were of cky, strewn with rushes, under which lay sometimes for 
a long time a collection of beer, grease, fragments from the table, 
bones, etc. Even amongst the nobility, who were extravagant in 
dress, excessive in banquets, and expensive in their trains of 
attendants, were found the same negligence and want of neatness 
in this particular. A large wooden knife, called the '• voiding 
knife," was used atler every meal to scrape from the table the 
bones, etc., Avhicli remained af\er eating, all of which refuse fell 
upon the floor to be trodden among the rushes, or scrambled for 
by the dogs. The practice of strewing the floor with rushes is 
alluded to in the diary of ^largery, daughter of Sir Thomas More. 

" Gonellius ask't leave to see Erasmus, his signet ring, which 
he handed down to him. In passing it back,William. who was 
occupied in carving a crane, handed it soe negligentlie. that it tell 
to y'" ground. I never saw such a face as Erasmus made when 
'twas picked out from y^ rushes ! And yet ours are renewed 
almost daylie, which manic think over nice."'' 

At the upper end of the hall was a raised floor, which was 
sometimes carpeted, forming an apartment a little distinct 
from the main hall : and at the table which crossed the dais, as 
this place was called, were seated the lord, his family and 
chief guests, while the inferiors and dependents ate at the lower 
table, which extended the length of the hall. 

A cistern was formerly an important part of the furniture of 
a well-appointed dining-hall ;. the plates were rinsed in it when 
uecessarv durinix the meal. A maiinificent silver cistern is still 



Ur:: 



DINNER. 67 

preserved in the dining-room of Burghloy House, the seat of the 
Marquis of Exeter. Pepys mentions in his diary, that he pur- 
chased a pewter cistern for his dining-room. 

When the Italian custom of using the hall as a vestibule came 
into practice in England, it ceased to serve as a dining apartment ; 
and from that time a particular room in the mansion was set 
apart for this use. 

Dining Tables. — The forms of tables have varied as fashion, 
necessity, convenience, or caprice dictated. The tables of the 
ancients were arranged either in the form of a semicircle or three 
sides of a square ; around the outside of which the guests reclined 
upon couches, leaving the space within open to the servants. 

The English Barons of feudal days had their tables in the 
form of the letter T. King Arthur's famous " round table " is 
said to have been chosen that his knights might not quarrel for 
precedence ; and Louis XV., of France, invented a round table, 
the centre of which descended by machinery to a lower floor, so 
that supper might be served and removed without the presence 
of servants. 

We have at the present day, the square, the oblong, the oval, 
the round, and the extension table, all of which are approved, 
though the three latter are esteemed the most elegant. Small 
lacquered tables, about a foot in height, are used among the 
Japanese, as they do not sit on chairs, but crouch upon the floor. 
The tables of the Chinese shine with a beautiful varnish, and are 
covered with silk carpets very elegantly worked. 

The Turks use no tables when eating, but place a small stool 
in the middle of the floor, upon which a large tray with the eat- 
ables is set. They seat themselves around it, lifting up a large 
napkin which is upon the stool, and spreading a part of it over 
their laps as they draw near it. 

We cannot refrain from mentioning what Pliny describes as 



68 DIXNEE. 

his table, ^vhen supping in the garden of his Tuscan villa. " At 
the upper end is an alcove of white marble, shaded with vines, sup- 
ported by four small Car3'stian pillars. From the bench, or 
triclinium, (a species of couch on which the Romans reclined to 
eat,) the water, gushing through several little pipes, as if it were 
pressed out by the weight of the persons who repose upon it, falls 
into a stone cistern underneath, whence it is received into a jfine, 
polished marble basin, so artfully contrived that it is always full 
without ever overflowing. When i sup here, this basiti seinws 
for a table, the largest sort of dishes being placed around the 
margin, while the smaller ones swim about in the form of little 
vessels and waterfowls." 

The Dinner Party. — To dine well in private, at home, there 
are a few requisites, among which we will name as foremost, that 
the meats be well cooked and well served, the accompanying 
dishes be appropriate to the meats, that all be served with neat- 
ness and care, and particularly that all be served liot. Also that 
the dinner be punctual to the hour ; and last, not least, that a spirit 
of love and harmony prevail among the members of the household. 

Tn the receipts which appear in ensuing chapters of this work, 
we have given directions for the cookins; of the various dishes in- 
eluded in dinner, after the manner generally agreeable to the 
English and American taste. An attention to these rules will 
enable a private flimily to dine well always. 

To give a dinner j)cirti/, however, or to dine well in company, 
requires many more essentials. There must be added an agree- 
able and well-adapted company of guests, ease and confidence on 
the part of the host and hostess, well trained and ex^^erienced 
servants, a spacious dining-room, and ample means to purchase 
the rarities and delicacies of the season. To combine all these 
essentials is a somewhat difficult undertaking, and therefore to 
give what is called a stylish dinner in fashionable life, is one of 



DIISTNEE. 69 

the greatest trials to an inexperienced housekeeper. It is folly on 
her part, and great want of consideration in her husband, to 
undertake it ; for mortification and failure are sure to be the 
result. An U7ipretending dinner, however, she may give, in which, 
consulting the means at her command, she should aim at nothing 
which she does not fully understand, and which she cannot do with 
perfect confidence in its success ; particularly regarding the old 
rule among cooks, never to try a new dish when company is ex- 
pected. Every arrangement which requires her personal atten- 
tion, should be made at an early hour, that she be not anxious and 
care-worn when the dinner hour arrives ; for the cheerful welcome 
she is to give to her guests, is no insignificant part of the enter- 
tainment. 

Although, as we have before observed, it is difficult to combine 
all the essentials required for an elegant and agreeable dinner 
'party ^ yet as there are persons who have it in their power to ac- 
complish this, we shall consider it in some of those particulars 
which are necessary for success, premising, however, that there 
must be first, experience and flimiliarity with the forms and 
usages of society. 

One of the first points of importance is a judicious selection 
of guests. " Gather at your table only such persons as can sym- 
pathize in thought and feeling," was a saying of ]\I. De Cussy, 
who fully understood the art of making his dinners attractive. 
Select your guests with a view to the general pleasure ; bringing 
together those who wish to become acquainted, — who will be 
agreeable to each other, and agree in taste and sentiment. If you 
neglect this rule, you will be unable to inspire the guests with 
cheerfulness, conversation will be restrained, or disagreeable 
differences of opinion will arise which may mar all the pleasure 
of the company. An English writer says : — 

" When you invite company, take care that no more eagei 
talkers are introduced, than are absolutely necessary to prevent 



70 DINNER. 



conversation from flagging. One to every six or eight persons 
is the utmost that can safely be allowed. It is necessary, how 
ever, both that one or two good conversationists should be at 
every party, and that the strain of the conversation should not be 
allowed to become too tame. In all invited parties, eight of every 
ten persons are disposed to hold their peace, or to confine them- 
selves to monosyllabic answers to commonplace inquiries. It is 
necessary, therefore, that there should be some who can speak, 
and that fluently, if not entertainingly, only not too many." 

Boswell once complained to Dr. Johnson of having dined at 
a splendid table, without hearing one sentence of conversation 
worthy to be remembered. " Sir," said Johnson, " there seldom 
is any such conversation." " Then why meet at table 1 " asked 
Boswell. " Why," answered Johnson, " to eat and drink to 
gether, and to promote kindness ; and this, sir, is better done 
where there is no conversation ; for where there is, people difler 
in opinion, and get into a bad humor ; or some of the company 
who are not capable of such conversation, are left out, and feel 
themselves uneasy." Johnson ate enormously, and did not like 
to be interru]3ted in the enjoyment of it, and being very rough 
and churlish to those who differed from him upon any subject, he 
had often in his own case perceived that the harmony of the 
company was destroyed by the discussions. To follow out his 
idea, however, would convert an agreeable occasion for pleasant 
intercourse into one of those 

" Dinners of form I vote a bore, 
AVhere folks who never mot before, 
And care not if they ne'er meet more. 

Are brought together : 
Crammed close as mackerel in their places, 
They cat with Chesterficldian graces, 
Drink healths, and talk with sapient faces 

About the weather." 

The tastes and humors of the guests must also be considered 



DINNER. 71 

as far as possible ; for these are numerous and vary in kind and 
degree. 

For wealthy palates there be that scout 
What is in season for what is out, 

And prefer all precocious savor ; 
For instance, early green peas, of the sort 
That costs some four or five guineas a quart, 

Where the mint is the principal flavor. 

Hood 

One loves the pheasant's wing, and one the leg ; 
The vulgar boil, the learned roast an egg ; 
Hard task, to hit the palates of such guests. 
When Oldfield loves what Dartineuf detests. 

Pope. 

Gorgonious sits, abdominous and wan, 
Like a fat squab upon a Chinese fan ; 
He snuffs far off the anticipated joy ; 
Turtle and venison all his thoughts employ. 

COWPEK. 

Some fretful tempers wince at every touch ; 
You always do too little or too much ; 
Serve him with venison, he chooses fish ; 
With sole, that's just the sort he would not wish ; 
He takes what he at first professed to loathe. 
And in due time feeds heartily on both. 

COWPER. 

Lord Byron was one of these capricious guests ; for when 
dining on one occasion at Mr. Rogers' to make a reconciliation 
with Thomas Moore, " neither meat, fish nor wine would he 
touch ; and of biscuits and soda water which he asked for, there 
had been unluckily no provision. He professed, however, to be 
equally well pleased with potatoes and vinegar ; and of these 
meagre materials contrived to make a hearty dinner. The cause 
of Byron's caprice was his fear of becoming too corpulent." 

A second important consideration, and one without which no 
dinner can pass off well, is to have ivell trained, experienced and 



72 Dii^rxER. 

reliable servants. Do not attempt a dinner unless you have at 
your command, servants ^ who understand every particular of 
their business ; a cook upon whom you can rely, and table ser- 
vants who know the proper place for every thing, and how to 
bring in each course quietly and in order. Where your own 
servants are well trained, they will perform your wishes much 
Detter than any aid which you may call in for the occasion ; for 
the new comers, even if you be so fortunate as to get those who 
are fully competent and understand all you wish to have done, 
may not act in concert with your regular domestics, and thus 
may cause you much anxiety, if not confusion. Foreign aid, too, 
is difficult to be obtained just when you are most in need of it, 
and often costs you much time and strength. Pepys in his 
" Diary," tells us of his efforts in search of a cook when about 
to have a company of lords and ladies to dinner, which is a fair rep- 
resentation of the same difficulties now. " To Mrs. Turner's and 
did get her to go along with me to buy some new pewter against 
to-morrow ; and thence to White Hall to have got a cook of 
her acquaintance, the best in England, as she says. But after we 
had with much ado found him, he could not come, nor was the 
gentleman in town wliom next I would have had ; nor would ]\Irs. 
Stone let her man Lewis come, whom this man recommended to 
me, so that I was at a mighty loss what to do for a cooke, Phil- 
ips being out of town. Therefore, afler staying here at West- 
minster a great while, we came back to London, and then to 
Philips', and his man directed us to Mr. Levett's, who could not 
come, and he sent to two more, and ikei/ could not ; so that at 
last Levett as a [treat kindness did resolve he would leave his 
business and come himself, which set me in great ease in my 
mind." The want of experienced servants is greatly felt in all 
American families. This deficiency compels the lady herself to 
perform many flitiguing offices when preparing for guests, all of 
which unfits her f )r that ease and calmness which is necessary in 



DINNER. '73 

a hostess. American ladies, laboring under such a disadvantage, 
should not attempt to give such entertainments as require system, 
order and knowledge on the part of the servants. In spite of 
their own great personal efforts, some failure is very likely to 
take place ; and if by great good fortune they escape this mortifi- 
cation, they do not escape the consequejtices of the complete over- 
taxing of their own nerves and strength, which their multifarious 
duties have involved. Mrs. Stowe says, " Who is not cognizant 
of dinner parties invited, in which the lady of the house has 
figured successively as confectioner, cook, dining-room girl, and 
lastly, rushed up stairs to bathe her glowing cheeks, smooth her 
hair, draw on satin dress, and kid gloves, and appear in the draw- 
ing-room as if there were nothing the matter 1 Certainly the 
undaunted bravery of our American females can never enough 
be admired. Other women can play gracefully the head of the 
establishment, but who, like them, could be head, hand, and foot 
all at once 1 " 

Provided with experienced and reliable servants, the hostess 
still should not abandon all to their management, but exercise a 
supervision over them, that she may feel confident of success. 
There are a few points upon which she should be certain that all is 
right. M. Brillat Savarin says, " The mistress of the house should 
always assure herself that the coffee is excellent, and the master 
that the wines are of the best quality.'''' He also adds, " He who 
does not bestow personal attention to the repast provided for his 
friends, is not deserving of friends." 

The cheerfulness and enjoyment of the guests are greatly 
promoted by ease and calmness on the part of the host and hostess. 
They meet not merely to eat and to drink, but to exchange kindly 
feelings, and enjoy agreeable conversation, which an appearance of 
anxiety in their entertainers greatly hinders. After making every 
reasonable provision for their entertainment, and secured yourself 
as far as possible against mistake or accident, — lay aside all anx 



74 DINNER. 

iety, and with confidence that every thing will go on properly; 
devote yourself to attending to their amusement and pleasure. 
John Hancock's coolness when a servant let foil a splendid 
epergne Avhich was shivered to atoms, — is worthy of imitation. 
'• Break as many dishes as you please, John," said he, '* but don't 
make, such a confounded noise about it." 

Lady Blessington was accomplished in the art of entertaining. 
Of a dinner, at her house, Willis writes, — " The soup vanished in 
the busy silence that beseems it, and as the courses commenced 
their procession, Lady Blessington led the conversation with the 
brilliancy and ease for which she is remarkable over all the 
women of her time. Talking better than any body else, and nar- 
rating, particularly, with a graphic power that I never saw ex- 
celled, — this distinguished woman seems striving only to make 
others unfold themselves ; and never had diffidence a more ap- 
prehensive and encouraging listener." 

It is impossible to give any precise rules for the dinner itself ; 
the number of courses, the variety of dishes, etc., which would be 
applicable to all places. The forms and usages of the society in 
which each person moves, are the best guides in this respect ; for 
a dinner, or any other entertainment, is in the best taste, when it 
is adapted to, and consistent with the sphere and position in life 
to which a person belongs. Too grand a display is as absurd, as 
too limited a one is mean. 

There are persons however, to whom the following rules may 
be of service, which we present from a recent writer in a Lon- 
don journal : — 



Let a lady ask her guests to dinner at quarter to eight (or seven, as the case 
may be\ and let the dinner be announced, cotitc qui coide, at eiglit. 

Let the guests in no case exceed ten in number, if there are ladies ; if only 
gentlemen, the Roman rule, " no more than the muses." 

Let the lady settle every seat beforehand, and let the husband direct each 
guest in succession to the proper seat. 

Let her have a round table. 



DINNER. 75 



Let her have chairs with spring-seats and spring backs, quite unlike ordinary 
dinner chairs. 

Let her table be covered, not with the bottoms of wretched side-dishes, of 
which the tops are wanting, but (apart from the usual accompaniments of silver, 
linen, and multi-colored glass) with a grouped abundance of flowers, green 
leaves, French painted moss and fruit according to the season. 

Let these be arranged, if possible, among Dresden or Sevres productions, 
with a statuette here of a corbeille-bearing child, (which corbeille fill with 
grapes,) and another there of a shepherdess with strawberries or a pine in her 
apron ; but, if these are not forthcoming, there arc few houses where dinners 
are given that have not some pretty objects in silver, biscuit, or the like, to set 
off' a table, and even an ordinary dinner-service may be made to look very pretty 
with the accessories of flowers, moss, cakes and fruit. 

The two main objects of dessert (beyond those portions of it which will be 
removed from the table at intervals to form part of the dinner) are its fragrance 
and its effect by way of ornaments. After dining properly, no one thinks, or 
ought to think, of stuffing dessert ; and, with the exception of such parts of the 
dessert as naturally come in during dinner (and this I invariably make to em- 
brace a good deal), as melon with roast lamb, marrons with capon, olives with 
ducklings, pine with volaille saute au supreme, etc., few persons worthy of din- 
ing will do more than " taste " dessert after dinner. 

Let the room have an overflowing light without heat, but not too much light 
on the table. 

Let the table, arranged with such an entourage as I have mentioned, have on 
it one vacant spot — and one alone — and that one before the host. 

Let the lady obtain a number of blank onenus, (bill of fare,) and let each guest 
find one of these menus (carefully filled up in a lady's hand, and setting out 
coming dinner) on his napkin before his seat, and if there should be a rose or a 
bunch of violets by its side it will only add to the beauty of the table, and still 
more increase the particular effect to be attained, which is as follows : — When 
conversation momentarily flags in any quarter, you will sec the silent or stupid 
guest at once fly to his menu, or his rose, which are always there before him, 
and it is astonishing how soon he revives and joins again in the conversation. 
The pause is so much better occupied than by the ordinary process of munch- 
ing bread. 

Let the dinner be served a la liusse — one dish at a time, and only one — one 
soup, then one fish, and so on. The mistakes of ordinary dinners are too absurd 
to mention. You see two soups and two fish, the former often cold, the latter 
sure to become so while you are eating the former, and not one of the four 
properly adapted fur any other. Then you see (as you graphically describe it) 
two great dishes and four or six side dishes, all prepared at once, all coming up 
together, all rapidly losing their first and proper flavor, and the former of which 
^a saddle of mutton and chickens !), if not cold already, must become cold while 



the latter are being handed about to everybody in the most incongruous confu 
sion, one which, perhaps, you would like, passing by because at the time you are 
eating another, a vol au vent offered you just as you finish hoiulin de veau a la 
rdckelieu ; a third, which you instinctively feel is the proper thing at that crisis, 
and unseen by you heretofore, replaced on an empty stand before you at the 
moment the saddle is uncovered, and it is too late ; and a thousand similar ab- 
surdities — each dish probably very good, perhaps done by a real chef, but from 
the combined want of heat and of head, the whole is an inextricable podrida, 
which is not '' dining." 

Let, then, the dinner be served as I have mentioned, one dish at a time, and 
only one. In dining there is no choice. After one dish comes the proper dish. 
When offered to you, omit it, if you like ; you may injure the edifice ; but don't 
substitute it for another, which will also spoil all that comes after. Connoisseurs 
know that the true art, the difficult secret of each cuisine, are "sauces" and 
their atti'ibutes. Let me taste the productions of any cook in the way of three 
or four foundation sauces, as Espagnol, Bechamel, veloiite, etc., and I will soon 
tell you if he is worthy to be, or ever will be, a cJief. By consequence one of the 
secondary difficulties is " soups." Now, of course, it is impossible here to go at 
length into the interior of those menus, (varied as they ever must be,) which I 
have recommended should be written out in a ladylike hand for each guest; but 
there are two or three things which, if ladies will learn, they soon know how to 
fill up their menus for themselves. Let them know, then, that the main impor- 
tance of dinner consists, or ought to consist, in the entrees, those hapless side- 
dishes for which they, the ladies, so often think any thing will do. The im- 
portance of the entrees again entirely consists in their sauces, (not necessarily 
foundation sauces, but probably deductions from them ;) and according to the 
two or three distinguishing sauces which are adapted for the best forms of the 
different materials the season of the year aHows for entrees, ought to be regu- 
lated both the earlier and later parts of the dinners. Let a lady and her cook 
then devise how many, and what entrees there shall be ; and that being settled, 
let them think on the one hand, of what fish is in season and how to be dressed, 
whose sauce will not depend on the entrees, and what soup they can give, whose 
e<?«.TO??2 me or stock shall not be made of the entree sauces; and, on the other 
hand, let them travel in the opposite direction, and think what releves and rotis, 
and how dressed ; and, lastly, what game (the latter generally an easy choice) 
will best accord with the taste generated by, and yet be totally distinct from, 
the two or three leading sauces. In fact, begin with the middle of your dinner, 
and work outwards both ways. 

I veiy much doubt the existing routine being capable of much improvement, 
except the modifications I shall mention hereafter. You may begin with oysters 
if you like, (a good thing, never exceeding from four to six,) or with any other 
lioi's d^cnuvre of the same wooing nature, (the Romans begaa with eggs ;) but 
next to any such ajtpas I am satisfied the true foundation of dinner is soup. 



DINNEE. 77 



Soup used to come iu as the fourth course, reigning Queen Anne, but without 
being medecins malgrc nous, in a century and a quarter nous avons chanf/3 
tout (a. 

Again, I only give one fish asfisJi, and that invariably after the soup. Other 
fish may come iu as entrees after an interlude, but this again ranges to the 
higher branches of art. The Germans will give you many a fish au naturel after 
dishes such as stewed veal and the like ; but such things are barbarous, and in 
this country at least, no one dines so well as with the ordinary and natural se- 
quence of fish after soup. 

Let each dish (where necessary) between the fish and the relevcs, be accom- 
panied by its peculiar vegetable, and for ordinary English tastes you must have 
potatoes as well. As to this, I have generally at hand for all the softer kind of 
entrees, a gateau aux 2)07nmes-de-teiTe, almost as fine and light as sponge-cake, and 
made of potatoes, cream, etc. ; and for the severer class of entrees, 2)0)nmes-de- 
terref rites, maitre cVliotel, etc., as the case may be. Plain potatoes (one of the 
best things in the world) are j)erfect with a few relevcs and some rotis, but there 
are very few entrees that they will not absolutely and irretrievably annihilate. 
Let one of a lady's first lessons be to make a potato-cake. 

Let there come on after the game (and this invariably) one or two vegetables, 
by themselves. These must be particularly attended to, and many of them, as 
salsijis a la poulette, articltavx d la Jjordelaise, or a la JBarigoule, require some 
little trouble. Still, provided they are not a recurrence of any thing gone be- 
fore, the lady will find the trouble not misapplied, for they are the natural path 
leading to the entremets, and if they are good and appropriate, the entremets 
which follow, (and which have generally given her so much trouble heretofore,) 
need never be more than two in number. 

Let the entremets then succeed, and in the case of a dinner such as I have 
attempted to portray, one at least of those two entremets should always be of a 
light nature. A first-rate soujffie is very good for the second one; and if of 
vanille will suit most dinners. Never have a chocolate souffle where a leading 
sauce has been a la Batelicre. 

Finish between the months of October and May, with caviare on buttered 
toast. 

Let the host carve each dish in succession, except the final ices. This is not 
too much to do if the number does not exceed ten. Let the quantity given be 
small, and, above all, let the hot plates for each dish come in with the dish. Of 
course the dishes may be carved on the sideboard, but I have never found a 
dinner go off so well. Anything which gratifies the sight, " tells ;" and each dish 
in succession ought to be a really pretty object. Supposing guests to be hungry, 
(and why dine if you are not?) each dish, when uncovered, and still more when 
tasted, ought to be the very thing which the prior part of the dinner has led you 
at that moment to desire, and I have found this eflect is quite lost, if nothing 13 
seen but a small portion on the plate. 



Now, let any lady who has read so far, sit down and calculate. She will have 
given one soup, one fish, three or four entrees, (never more,) one releve, one roti, 
one game, (generally enough, unless you have ortolans or leccaficos for a second,) 
two legumes, and two entremets, in all 12 or lo plats, and equally 12 or 13 courses. 
She will have probably saved five substantial dishes at least; besides I don't 
know how many other entremets and absurdities. She will have given a dinner 
in which each dish is in its best " form ;" in which are avoided the awkward 
cessations from all action and conversation, which so often occur during the 
change of the courses, and, (correctly done,) she will have improved her hus- 
band's temper, and gratified every guest she has. She will have done more — 
she will probably decrease the length of her dinner, while she certainly renders it 
far less tedious, and she will (without fail, if she can succeed in one other point) 
shorten the time that the gentlemen sit alone after the ladies are gone. 

Having considered the dinner-party in its various points, we 

will now illustrate that spirit of true hospitality which is the 

charm of all social life, and which, while it is perfectly compatible 

with wealth, elegance, and refinement, is yet independent of all 

these circumstances, and may shine as truly at the humble table 

of the lowly, as at the sumptuous board of the wealthy and 

noble. 

Eve's Kepast for the Angel-Gue.st. 

With despatchful looks, in haste 
She turns, on hospitable thoughts intent ; 
"What choice to choose for delicacy best. 
What order, so contrived as not to mix 
Tastes not well join'd, inelegant, but bring 
Taste after taste upheld with kindliest change ; 
Bestirs her then, and from each tender stalk 
Whatever Earth, all-bearing mother, yields 
In India, East or West, or middle shore 
In Pontus or the Punic coast,. or where 
Alcinous reign'd, fruit of all kinds, in coat 
Rough, or smooth rind, or bearded husk, or shell, 
She gathers tribute large, and on the board 
Heaps with unsparing hand ; for drink, the grape 
She crushes, inofiensive must, and meaths 
From many a berry ; and from sweet kernels press'd 
She tempers dulcet creams ; nor these to hold 
Wants her fit vessels pure ; then strows the ground 
With rose and odors from the shrub uufumed. 



DINNER. VO 

Raised of grassy turf 
Their table was, and mossy seats had round ; 
And on her ample square, from side to side. 
All autumn piled, though spring and autumn here 
Danced hand in hand. 

MiLTOX. 

Telemachus' Reception of Minerva. 

The stranger-guest the royal youth beheld ; 
Grieved that a visitant so long should wait. 
Unmarked, unhonored, at a monarch's gate, 
Instant he flew, with hospitable haste. 
And the new friend with courteous air embraced. 
"Stranger, ***** 

Approach the dome ; the social banquet share, 
And then the purpose of thy soul declare." 

" An Arab chief in the days of Nowshirwann, possessed a 
horse, marvellous for its beauty and speed, the wonder and pride 
of Arabia. The king, who had heard of this horse, sent a noble- 
man of his court to purchase it. The emissary arrived at his 
tent, when every item of household stores, his camels, sheep, 
goats, and even horses, had been consumed in hospitality. The 
beautiful Arab horse alone remained. Hautim's heart bled for 
his steed, as, without hesitation, he slew him to feed his guest. 
The next day the emissary opened his mission, by stating that he 
was sent by the king to purchase, at any price, Hautim's steed. 
" I deeply regret," answered Hautim, " that you did not at once 
intimate your purpose ; you ate the flesh of my horse last night. 
It was the last animal left me, and my guest had a right to it." 

" And touching the guiding of thy house, let thy hospitality 
be moderate, and according to the means of thy estate ; rather 
plentiful than sparing, but not costly. For I never knew any man 
grow poor by keeping an orderly table. But some consume 
themselves through vices, and their hospitality bears the blame. 
Bannish swinish drunkards from thine house, which is a vice im 



80 DINNER. 

23airing lioalth, consuming much, and makes no show. Be^yare 
thou spend not above three of four parts of thy revenues ; nor 
above a third part of that in thine house, for the other two parts 
will do no more than defray thy extraordinaries ; which always 
surmount the ordinary by much ; otherwise thou shalt live like 
a rich beggar in continual want." — Precepts addressed hy Lorll 
Burleigh to his son, Robert Cecil, ofterivards Earl of Salisbury. 

But ancient friends, (tho' poor or out of play,) 

That touch my bell, I cannot turn away. 

'T is true, no turbots dignify my boards, 

But gudgeons, flounders, what ray Thames affords; 

To Hounslow-Heath I point, and Banstead-Down, 

Thence comes your 'mutton, and these ddcks my own ; 

From yon old loalnut tree a shower shall fall, 

And grapes long lingering on my only wall, 

And figs from standards and espalier join; 

The devil is in you if you cannot dine. 



Pope. 



May Heaven (it's all I wish for) send 
One genial room to treat a friend, 
"Where decent cupboard, little plate, 
Display Jbenevolence, not state. 



Matthew Greek. 



'• I pray you, O excellent wife, cumber not yourself and me 
to get a curiously rich dinner for this man or woman who has 
alighted at our gates, nor a bed-chamber made ready at too great 
a cost ; these things, if they are curious in them, they can get for 
a few shillings at any village ; but rather let the stranger see, if 
ho will, in your looks, accent, and behavior, — your heart and 
earnestness, your thought and will, which he cannot buy at any 
price, in any city, and which he may well travel twenty miles, 
and dine sparingly, and sleep hardly, to behold. Let not the 
emphasis of hospitality lie in bed and board ; but let truth, and 
love, and honor, and courtesy flow in all your deeds." 

Overstrained Politeness, or vulgar Hospitality. — As soon as 



DINNER. 81 

I entered the parlor, they put me into the great chair that stood 
close by a huge fire, and kept me there by force until I was almost 
stifled. Then a boy came in a great hurry to pull off my boots, 
which I, in vain opposed, urging that I must return soon after din- 
ner. In the mean time, the good lady w^hispered her eldest 
daughter, and slipped a key into her hand. The girl returned 
instantly with a beer glass half full of aqua mWabilis and syrup 
of gilly flowers. I took as much as I had a mind for, but Madam 
vowed I should drink it off", and I was forced to obey, — which ab- 
solutely took away my stomach. 

When dinner came in, I had a mind to sit at a distance from 
the iire ; but they told me it was as much as my life was worth, 
and set me with my back against it. 

Although my appetite was quite gone, I resolved to force 
down as much as I could, and desired the leg of a pullet. " In- 
deed, Mr. Brickerstafl"," says the lady, " you must eat a wing to 
oblige me ; " and so put a couple on my pl^te. I was persecuted 
at this rate during the whole meal. As often as I called for small 
beer, the master tipped the wink, and the servant brought me a 
brimmer of October, Some time after dinner, I ordered my man 
to get ready the horses, but it was resolved I should not stir that 
night, and when I seemed pretty much bent on going, they 
ordered the stable door to be locked, and the children hid my 
cloak and boots. 

The next question was, w^hat would I have for supper % I 
said, " I never eat any thing at night ; " but was at last, in my 
own defence, obliged to name the first thing that came into my 
head. After three hours spent chiefly in apologies for my enter- 
tainment, insinuating to me " that this was the worst time of the 
year for provisions ; that they were afraid I should be starved, 
and they knew they kept me to my loss," the lady went, and left 
me to her husband (for they took special care I should never be 
alone). 

6 



82 DINNER. 



Exactly at eight, she came back, and I discovered by the red- 
ness of her flice, that supper was not far off. It was twice as 
large as the dinner, and my persecution doubled in proportion. 
They importuned me to drink something before I went to bed ; 
and on my refusing, at last left me a bottle of stingo, for fear I 
should wake and be thirsty in the night. I was now resolved to 
get away, and after sitting down to a monstrous breakfast of cold 
beef, mutton, neat's tongues, venison pasty, and stale beer, took 
leave of the family. 

It is evident that none of the absurdities I met with in this 
visit proceeded from ill intention, but from a wrong judgment of 
complaisance, and a misapplication of the rules of it. — Dr. John- 
son. 

Invitation to Dinner, by Thomas Moore. 

{Addreesed to Lord Zansdotvne.) 

Some think we bards have nothing real ; 

That poets live among the stars so, 
Their very dinners are ideal, — 

(And Heaven knows, too oft they are so;) 
For instance, that we have, instead 

Of vulgar chops, and stews, and hashes, 
First course — a Phoenix at the head, 

Done in its own celestial ashes ; 
At foot, a cygnet, which kept singing 
All the time its neck was wringing. 
Side dishes, thus : Minerva's owl, 
Or any such like learned fowl ; 
Doves, such as heaven's poulterer gets 
When Cupid shoots his mother's pets. 
Larks, stewed in morning's roseate breath, 

Or roasted by a sunbeam's splendor ; 
And nightingales, berhymed to death. 

Like young pigs, whipped to make them tender. 

Such fare may suit those bards who 're able 
To banquet at Duke Humphrey's table ; 



SOUPS. 83 



But as for me, who 've long been taught 

To eat and drink like other people, 
And can put up with mutton, bought 

Where Branham rears its ancient steeple- 
If Lansdowne will consent to share 
My humble feast, though rude the fare, 
Yet, seasoned by that salt he brings 
From Attica's salinest springs, 
'T will turn to dainties ; while the cup 
Beneath his influence, brightening np 
Like that of Baucis, touched by Jove, 
Will sparkle fit for gods above ! 



SOUPS. 

In making soups from raw beef, lamb or veal, first break the 
bones apart, and lay them in the pot, with an ounce of butter for 
every pound of meat, a slice or two of lean bacon cut small, salt, 
pepper, and a cup of water. Put it over the fire ; when boiling, 
stir round with a spoon, for about ten minutes, or until it forms 
a whitish, thick gravy at the bottom, or gets rather dry ; then 
add cold water, five pints for every two pounds of meat ; 
when boiling, let it simmer gently for three quarters of an 
hour ; skim it well, when it cools take off the fat from the sur- 
face, pass it through a sieve ; it will then be ready to add ver- 
micelli, rice, or whatever vegetables you may choose, as peas 
carrots, potatoes, onions, parsley, etc. A variety of soups may 
be thus made from this stock. 

Pea-Soiq). — Soak over night, one cup of split peas, for two 
quarts of the soup prepared as above ; when added to the soup 
set the latter over a moderate fire, and stir it frequently, or the 
peas will settle upon the bottom and burn. Cook two hours or 
more, until the peas are well rubbed into the soup. 



84 DIXNEE. 



Peas make an excellent addition to a soup made from a bone 
'oast bee 
your taste. 



of roast beef ^vhich is well boiled after being broken. Season to 



Nudels for Soup. — Two or three eggs should be beaten with 
a little salt. Stir the eggs into flour until you make as stiff a 
paste as you can roll out. Divide the dough into two or three 
parts, and roll each out as thin as possible, the thinner the better, 
flouring your rolling pin to make it roll smoothly. After rolling 
out one crust, leave that upon your board to dry, while you pre- 
pare another, letting them stand half an hour at least ; an hour 
if you have time, for the drying is important. After this, fold 
each crust in one long roll, and cut off shreds as thin as possible. 
Shake these apart, and let them also dry a little ; it will make 
them lighter, and j^revent their sticking together in the soup. 

After your soup is strained and nearly ready to be served, 
drop the nudels in, and boil twenty minutes. If the above quan- 
tity be more than you wish to use at one time, you can keep part 
of them in a cool dry place, for a few days. Some persons make 
them last a fortnight, but they are not generally as good as when 
fresh. They can be made with less eggs, by using a little milk 
instead, but are not as good as by the above rule. 

The famous Sir Samuel Moreland's coach had a fire-place and 
grate, with which he could make a soup, broil cutlets, and roast an 
egg ; and he dressed his meat by clockwork. 

Beau Brummel speaking of a man, and wishing to convey his 
maximum of contemptuous feeling about him, said, " He is a fel- 
low, now, that would send his plate up twice for soup ! " 

Beef Soup. — A good beef soup is made by taking a shank of 
beef, cutting it into two or three pieces, and boiling slowly for 
three hours. Take out the meat and bones, and set the pot away 



SOUPS. 85 

to cool ; when cold, skim the fat from the surface, put the pot 
over the fire again, and, when hot, add what vegetables you 
choose. Season to your taste, and, fifteen minutes before serving, 
add dumplings, (made by stirring flour into one beaten egg and a 
cup of milk, making it stiff:) Drop these in while the soup is 
boiling, but do not cover the pot after they are in. When they 
rise to the surface, turn them over. 

Gumbo Soup. — Okra forms an important ingredient in this 
soup, so much in use at the South. The okra should be grown 
in a warm, rich soil, and picked for use when in its soft, milky 
state, like corn. It colors the soup dark if allowed to grow firm 
before picking. 

Prepare a good chicken or lamb soup, and stir into it the 
okra, which thickens and forms the mucilage so pleasant in the 
soup. 07^ slice a chicken or turkey (previously boiled) into shreds, 
add to them slices of salt pork cut into bits ; put them over the 
fire in water, add butter, spices, chopped celery, onion, if you 
like, and thicken with the okra, stirring it a long time. 

In drying okra for winter use, pick the pods in their tender 
state, as if for immediate use ; cut them into slices (across) half 
an inch thick, spread them on a board, or string them, and then 
dry them in an airy place, after which put them away in paper 
bags for winter use. 

" Luttrell (a famous diner out) came over for the day ; he was 
very agreeable, but spoke too lightly, I thought, of veal soup. I 
took him aside, and reasoned the matter with him, in vain ; to 
speak the truth, Luttrell is not steady in his judgments on dishes. 
Individual failures with him soon degenerate into generic objec- 
tions, till, by some fortunate accident, he eats himself into better 
opinions. A person of more calm reflection thinks not only of 
what he is consuming at that moment, but of the soups of the 



86 DINNER. 



same kind lie has met with in a long course of dining, and Avhich 
have gradually and justly elevated the species." — Sydney Smith's 
Letters. 

Chichen and Lamb Soiq)s. — Chicken and lamb soups, made 
simply by boiling the chicken or lamb until very tender, adding 
a little rice towards the last, are very excellent and nutritious for 
invalids. If you add to the chicken soup some chopped parsley, 
and the following dumplings, it will imj)rove it. For dumplings, 
scald nearly a pint of milk, thicken it with flour previously wet 
with cold milk, let it cool, beat two eggs light, and stir them into 
it ; make rather a stiff batter, and drop by spoonfuls into the 
soup ; let them boil only three minutes. Or, instead of the 
dumplings, add the nudels (vermicelli), which should boil half an 
hour. 

Oyster Soiqy- — Take the oysters out of their liquor with a 
fork, and then strain the latter to remove any shells. To a quart 
of oysters and their juice, add a pint of cold water, and nearly a 
cup of butter, a little salt, and considerable pepper. Cook slowly, 
stirring carefully, that the heat may penetrate all equally. In 
one minute after they come to the boil, they are done. Then 
serve hot, either with crackers or buttered toast. 

Soupe a la Cussy. — " Choose twenty small onions ; j)ull off 
the outer skin ; cut them up in a stew-pan, with a piece of fresh 
butter and a little sugar. Turn them until they are a beautiful 
golden- color ; then wet them with some broth, and add the 
quantity of bread necessary. When you serve the soup, add two 
small glasses of cognac brandy. 

" For fasting in Lent, M. De Cussy prepared for himself this 
soup, and he ate a fine dish of it. If any friend came in unex- 
pectedly, he had in reserve in his closet a piece of salmon and a 



SOUPS. 87 

bunch of asparagus. It was tlius I dined with him on Tuesday 
in Holy Week." — M. Eoques. 

Mock Turtle Soup [German 7node). — Bone a scalded calf's 
head, boil it for a quarter of an hour in a great deal of water, 
then cool it in cold water, and now cut it into lozenges about an 
inch thick. Put these into a suitable stew-pan, pour soup-stock 
over it, and boil it for two hours, till done. 

Now take a head of celery, two carrots, an onion, a parsnip, 
all cut into slices, three ounces of butter, and three table-spoon- 
fuls of flour, and brown them gently in a pan with two spoonfuls 
of brown broth, and two spoonfuls of soup-stock ; add to this, 
thyme, sweet-basil, (which gives a peculiarly delicate flavor,) and 
ten whole grains of pepper. 

The scum and fat which rise from the soup must be taken off 
from time to time, and the soup, together with the calf 's-head 
broth, be strained through a hair sieve, and seasoned with the 
necessary salt, a small quantity of cayenne pepper, and a glass 
of hot Madeira wine. Then take the calf's head out of the 
liquid in Avhich it has been boiled, place it in the tureen, and 
pour the soup boiling hot over it ; there are also very small 
dumplings which are to be added, which are made of " chicken 
stuffing," and boiled separately in soup-stock. 

{This cJiicken stuffing is made from chicken breast pounded 
fine in a mortar, the skin being previously removed, and to four 
ounces of chicken add two ounces of bread-crumbs steeped in milk 
and pressed dry again, two ounces and a half of chopped bacon, 
or three ounces of fresh butter, well mixed, and all pounded to- 
gether, with one Q^g and yelk of another. Season with salt, 
pepper, and nutmeg, and rub through a coarse sieve. This stuf- 
fing is chiefly used for dumplings.) — Vollmeh. 

Turtle Sou]-). — Make a cut with a cleaver on the side, between 



88 DINNER. 

the lower and upper shells, bend the shells asunder, and loosen 
the turtle carefully with a sharp knife. If it is alive, cut off tlie 
head and feet, and let it bleed for several hours, in lukewarm 
water. After the entrails and the gall have been removed, wash 
it very clean, put it on the tire in cold water, let it boil up once, 
put it again into cold water, and for a second time let it boil 
until the skin can be drawn off. When this is done, and the 
turtle has got cold, cut the meat into nice little dice-shaped 
pieces, put in a piece of butter, a carrot, an onion, some whole 
pepper, fine salt, three or four cloves, a bottle of Madeira, and a 
pint of good brown broth, and allow the whole to stew till done, 
for about two hours, keeping it well covered ; after which take it 
out, put it in the tureen, and add a ragout a la Jinanciire, and the 
eogs of the turtle. In the mean time, prepare a brown sauce, add 
it to the turtle soup, and let the whole boil up again a few times, 
skim off all the fat, and pass the soup over the meat, through a 
hair sieve ; stir it up a couple of times with the ladle, and send 
it to table as hot as possible. 

The brown broth referred to in the above, is soup-stock made 
after the following manner : 

Cut a pound of ham in thin shces, and lay them on the bottom 
of a pot, covering it entirely. Slice six pounds of beef, and lay 
upon the ham, cutting the slices as thick as your finger ; add a few 
chopped onions, sprinkle the whole with salt, and place the pot over 
a slow fire, where the meat will cook slowly, taking care that it 
does not burn. When the juice extracted from the meat is brown 
and firm, pour off the clarified fat, add some water to the meat, 
and let it continue to boil. Remove the scum carefully as it rises, 
and let the broth boil gently for three hours. — Yollmer. 

The weight of a turtle varies from thirty, to five or six hun- 
dred pounds. Epicures of note have been known to prefer it cut 
into steaks and broiled, to be eaten with melted butter, cayenne 



SOUPS. 8 ft 

pepper, and the juice of a Seville orange. These say that the 
flesh thus simply dressed, retains more of its true flavor, than 
when prepared in any other way. 

It was not until the middle of the 17th century, that the 
turtle was brought to England. The first appearance of the 
turtle is repulsive, and " does not carry a letter of recommenda- 
tion to the kitchen ; accordingly, his introduction to the Lord 
Mayor's table was rather tardy ; " and we learn from Sir Hans 
Sloane that, at the beginning of the last century, turtle was only 
eaten in Jamaica by the poor. 

Origin of inarking the King^s dishes icith the Cooks^ names. — 
George II. was accustomed every other year to visit his German 
dominions with the greater part of the oflScers of his household, 
and especially those belonging to the kitchen. Once on his pas- 
sage at sea, his first cook was so ill with the sea-sickness, that he 
could not hold up his head to dress his majesty's dinner ; this 
being told to the king, he was exceedingly sorry for it, as he was 
famous for making a Rhenish soiq?, which his majesty was very 
fond of; he therefore ordered inquiry to be made among the as- 
sistant cooks, if any of them could make the above soup. One 
named Weston, father of Tom "Weston the player, undertook it ; 
and so pleased the king, that he declared it was full as good as 
that made by the first cook. 

Soon after the king's return to England, the first cook died ; 
when the king was informed of it, he said that his steward of the 
household always appointed the cooks, but that now he would 
name one for himself, and therefore asking if one Weston was 
still in the kitchen, and being answered that he was, " That 
man," said he, " shall be my first cook, for he makes most excel- 
lent Khenish soup." This favor begot envy among all the ser- 
vants, so that when any dish was found fault with, they used to 
say it was Weston's dressing. The king took notice of this, and 



90 DINNEE. 



said to tlie servants it was very extraordinary that every dish he 
disliked should happen to be Weston's ; " in future," said h{% 
" let every dish be marked with the name of the cook that 
makes it." 

By this means the king detected their arts, and from that 
time Weston's dishes pleased him most. The custom has con- 
tinued ever since, and is still practised at the king's table. — 
Hone. 



FISH. 

Our plenteous streams a varied race supply: 
The bright-eyed perch., with fins of Tyrian dye, 
The silver eel, in shining volumes rolled, 
The yellow carp, in scales bedropped with gold. 
Swift trauts, diversified with crimson stains. 
And pikes, the tyrants of the watery plains. 

POPK. 

The Fike is called the Tyrant of the fresh waters ; it is found 
in this country of several varieties, from the pickerel, (the dimin- 
utive of pike,) whose average weight is four pounds, to the enor- 
mous ixiuscalonge of the north-western w^aters, which reaches sixty 
and even more pounds. His ferocity is well attested by authentic 
stories. 

The Salmon is termed the King of the fresh waters. This fish 
is unknown in the Mediterranean Sea, and in the rivers that fall 
into it either from Europe or Africa. It is found in some of the 
rivers of France which empty into the Atlantic. The salmon is 
taken in Kamschatka, and even as far north as Greenland, and is 
f jund in many of the rivers of the United States ; they ascend 
and descend the Columbia river, in immense and incredible shoals. 
The Indians around this river preserve them in a dried state, and 



FISH. 91 

make them a principal article of food. Salmon live both in the 
ocean, and in the fresh waters. To deposit their spawn, they 
press lip the rivers with amazing rapidity, and are known to spring 
with great agility over cataracts of several feet in height. 

Herrings appear in vast shoals on the coast of America. 
" They come annually in such numbers upon the shores of the 
Chesapeake bay, as to become offensive to the inhabitants. Their 
habits are migratory ; they frequent the highest latitudes, making 
their winter rendezvous near the Arctic circle." — Smellie. 

The river " ^M//-/iertc?" derives its common name from the 
shape of its head. The name of " Miller's Thumb," is also given 
to it on account of the head's resembling very closely the thumb 
of a miller^ which has a peculiar form from its constant exercise 
in trying the character of the meal under the spout. The Loach, 
or Loche, though very small, never longer than four inches, — is 
thought to be so great a delicacy on the continent of Europe, that 
they have been taken long distances, and naturalized. " In the 
spring and at the end of the autumn, the gastronomers prefer 
them to almost all the inhabitants of the water, especially when 
they have been smothered in wine or milk." — Isaac Walton. 

" The Pearch (perch) is a very good, and a very bold biting 
fish ; he has a hooked or hog back, which is armed with sharp 
and stiff bristles, and all his skin covered over with thick, dry, 
hard scales. The ruffe pearch seldom exceeds six or seven 
inches in length, but its flesh is considered excellent." — Ibid. 

" The Eel is never out of season, as trout and most other fish 
are at set times. It is agreed by most men that it is a most 
dainty dish ; the Romans have esteemed the eel " the Helena of 
their feasts," and some " the queen of palate pleasure." — Ibid. 

The Car]) is esteemed very highly as an article of food, jDre- 
served with great care, and fed in ponds for the table. Its te- 
nacity of life is very great ; in Holland, they are sometimes sus- 
pended in a damp cellar in nets full of moss, which are moistened 



92 DIXXEK. 

with milk, and the fish not only live, but grow tat. The carp has 
been known to attain the weight of eighteen or twenty pounds in 
England, and on the continent to grow much larger. " The 
tonpues of carps are noted to be choice and costly meat, especially 
to them that buy them, but Gesner says, carps have no tongues 
like other tish, but a piece of tlesh like lish in their mouth like to 
a tongue, — but it is certain that it is choicely good." (Ibid.) The 
carp was brought to this country from. France in 1831. 

'* The Trout, of all fresh water fish, dies the soonest after 
being caught, and should therefore be eaten within a few hours. 
The trout is highly valued both in this, and foreign nations ; and 
may justly contend with all fresh water fish, for precedency 
and daintiness of taste, and that being m right season the most 
dainty palates have allowed precedency to him." — Ih'id. 

A fish called Bream, was formerlv a favorite dish in Enijland, 
where high prices were paid for it. " In 1454, a pye of four of 
them in the expences of two men employed for three days in 
taking them, in baking them, in flour, in spices, and in conveying 
it from Sutton in Warwickshire, to the Earl of Warwick in the 
North Country, — cost xvjs. ijd." — Hist. Warwicl'. 

" The Tench is called ' the physician of fishes,' because there 
has sometimes prevailed an idea that the tench acts medicinally 
to other fish, by rubbing against them when wounded or sick ; 
hence, in Germany, the fishermen call it the doctor jish.''' — Kate 
to Isaac Walton. 

The green Turtle is a wholesome and highly delicious food. 

The land Crab is regarded as a delicacy in Jamaica. 

In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, among the culinary 
delicacies are mentioned the Whale, Grampus, Porpoise, Sea-calf 
and Sea-wolf. The Porpoise was a royal dish, even so late as the 
reiijn of Henry the Eighth. And in the lansuao;e of Thomas 
Hood, — 



FISH. 93 

** Good Queen Bess, 

hearty as hippo campus, 

Broke her fast with ale and beef 
Instead of toast and the Chinese leaf. 

And in lieu of anchovy — grampus ! " 

The receipt for cooking a Fish two hundred years ago in Eng- 
land. — " Take a Carp alive if possible, scour him and rub him clean 
with water and salt, but scale him not ; then open him and put 
him with his blood and liver, which you must save when you 
open him, into a small pot or kettle ; then take sweet marjoram, 
thyme, and parsley, of each half a handful, a sprig of rosemary, 
and another of savory ; bind them in two or three small bundles 
and put them to your carp, with four or five whole onions, twenty 
pickled oysters, and three anchovies. Then pour upon your carp 
as much claret wine as will only cover him, and season your claret 
w^ell with salt, cloves and mace, and the rinds of oranges and 
lemons ; that done, cover your pot and set it on a quick fire, till 
it be boiled ; then take out the carp and lay it with the broth 
into the dish, and pour upon it a quarter of a pound of the best 
fresh butter melted and beaten with half a dozen spoonsful of the 
broth, the yelks of two or three eggs, and some of the herbs shred. 
Garnish your dish with lemons, and so serve it up, and much 
good may it do you." — I. Walton. 

Isaac Walton'' s mode of dressing Trout in 1653. — " Take your 
trout, wash, and dry him with a clean napkin ; then open him, 
and having taken out his guts, and all the blood, wipe him very 
clean within, but wash him not, and give him three scotches with 
a knife to the bone, on one side only. After which take a clean 
kettle, and put in as much hard stale beer, — but it must not be 
dead, — vinegar, and a little white wine and water, as will cover 
the fish you intend to boil ; then throw into the liquor a good 
quantity of salt, the rind of a lemon, a handful of sliced horse- 
radish root, with a handsome little fagot of rosemary, thyme, and 



94 DINNER. 

winter savory. Then set your kettle upon a quick fire of -wood, 
and let your licpor boil up to the height before you put in your 
lish ; and then, if there be many, put them in one by one, that 
they may not so cool the liquor as to make it tall ; and whilst 
your fisU is boiling, beat up the butter for your sauce with a ladle- 
ful or two of the liquor it is boiling in ; and being boiled enough, 
immediately pour the liquor from the fish, and being laid in a 
dish, pour your butter upon it, and, strewing it plentifully over 
with shaved horse-radish and a little pounded ginger, garnish the 
sides of your dish and the tish itself with a sliced lemon or two, 
and serve it up." 

Walton, in discoursing upon the Chub^ says : — " He may be 
so dressed as to make him very good meat, as, namely, if he be 
a large chub, then dress him thus : First scale him ; and then 
wash him clean, and then take out his guts ; and to that end make 
the hole as little and near to his gills as you may conveniently, 
and especially make clean his throat from the grass and weeds 
that are usually in it, for if that be not very clean, it will make 
him to taste very sour ; having so done, put some sweet herbs 
into his belly, and then tie him with two or three splinters to a 
spit, and roast him, basted often with vinegar, or rather verjuice 
and butter, with good store of salt mixed with it. 

" Being thus dressed, you will fnid him a much better dish of 
meat than you, or most folk, do imagine ; for this dries up the 
fluid watery humor with which all chubs do abound. 

" But take this rule with you, that a chub newly taken and new- 
ly dressed, is so much better than a chub of a day's keeping af er 
he is dead, tliat I can compare him to nothing so fitly as to cherries 
newly gathered from a tree, and others that have been bruised and 
lain a day or two in water. But the chub being thus used and 
dressed presently, and not washed after he is gutted ; — for note, 
that lying long in water, and washing the blood out of any fish 



FISH. 95 

after they Ijc gutted, abates much of their sweetness, — you "svill 
fuid the chub bchig dressed in the blood and quickly, to be such 
meat as will recompense your labor, and disaljuse your opinion. 

" Or you may dress the chub thus : When you have scaled 
him, and cut off his tail and fins, and washed him very clean, then 
chine or slit him through the middle as a salt fish is usually cut ; 
then give him three or four scotches on the back with your knife, 
and broil him on charcoal, or wood-coal that are free from smoke, 
and all the time lie is a broiling, baste him with the best sweet 
butter, and good store of salt mixed with it ; and to this add a 
little thyme cut exceeding small, or bruised into the butter. The 
chub thus dressed hath the watery taste taken away, for which so 
many except against him. Thus was the cheven dressed that you 
now liked so well, and commended so much. But note again, that 
if this chub you ate of, had been kept till to-morrow, he had n-ot 
been worth a rush. And remember, that his throat be washed 
very clean, and his body not washed after he is gutted, as indeed 
no fish should be." 

The " Accomplished Cook," published in IG80, contains the 
following receipt for 

A Herring Pie. — Take salt herrings, being watered ; wash 
them between your hands, and you shall loose the fish from the 
skin ; take ofi" the skin whole and lay them in a dish ; then have 
a pound of almond-paste ready ; mince the herrings, and stamp 
them with the almond-paste, two of the milts or roes, five or six 
dates, some grated manchet, sugar, sack, rosewater and safi'ron ; 
make the composition somewhat stift', and fill the skins ; put 
butter in the bottom of your pie, lay on the herring, and on them 
dates, gooseberries, currants, barberries, and butter ; close it up 
and bake it ; being baked, liquor it Avith butter, verjuice, and 
sugar. 



96 DINNER. 



" There was a pleasant tradition current in Yarmouth not 
many years since, that the ' red ' herring was the result of acci- 
dent. According to the story, a fisherman had hung up some 
salted herrings in his hut, and forgotten them. They hung 
where they were exposed to the smoke from the wood fire of the 
hut ; and, some days afterwards, his attention was attracted to 
them, when, being struck by their appearance, he determined to 
see how one of them tasted. The result was so satisfactory that 
he hastened to King John, who was then lying near Norwich, to 
make a present of the remainder ; when the herrings were es- 
teemed such a delicacy by the monarch, that he then and there, 
expressed his determination to grant a charter of incorporation to 
the town from which they were brought. In this charter the 
burgesses are obliged to send one hundred herrings to the sheriif 
of Norwich, to be made into twenty-four pies ; and these pies are 
to be sent to the Jcing ! " 

For Boiling Fish. — All large fish, with the skin whole, must be 
put over the fire in cold water ; first wrap it in a cloth, and wind 
twine around it. It must not be covered with more than two 
inches of water. Put in tAVO tea-spoonsful of salt to every quart 
of water. As soon as the water begins to boil, remove the pot to 
one side, and let it simmer gently till done. When the fish will 
separate easily from the bone, it is cooked ; if it falls from the 
bone, it is overdone. The exact length of time necessary to cook 
fish cannot be specified, since the quality of fish varies as much 
as the size. 

Lift the cloth containing the fish carefully from the pot, cut 
the twine, and turn it upon a napkin laid upon a platter. 

Serve with drawn butter, or egg-sauce. 

If the fish be sliced, put it over the fire in hot water. If you 
have a drainer to lay your fish upon in the pot, the cloth need 
not be used. 



FISH. 97 

In boiling salt fish — as cod and cod-sounds — previously soak 
it six hours for two pounds, changing the water until fresh. 
Set it then upon the fire, where it will gradually heat and simmer 
gently. When nearly ready to serve, let it come to the boil, then 
take it up and serve with drawn butter or egg-sauce. 

Fish-Sauces. — The foundation of all these sauces is the melted 
butter^ which is prepared by this rule : Take one cup of butter, 
rub in it a full table-spoon of flour, half a spoon of salt, and a 
quarter of a spoon of pepper ; then add to it a pint of cold water ; 
heat it, stirring it all the time, and, when it begins to simmer, 
remove it from the fire, and add more butter, if you wish it 
richer. 

For egg-sauce add to the above two hard-boiled eggs, chopped 
fine. 

Lobster Sauce. — Get the spawn of the lobster, rub them fine 
with a knife on a plate with a bit of butter, and add it to the 
hot melted butter, when it will turn red. Then cut the lobster 
into small pieces, and add the soft part from the belly with it, to 
the melted butter. A little cayenne pepper may be sprinkled in. 
Boil and serve. 

Anchovy Sauce. — Add to melted- butter two table-spoons of 
essence of anchovies ; or bruise and boil the anchovies over a 
slow fire in melted butter. 

This sauce was a favorite condiment among the Eomans, and 
was prepared by them as it is now, after the above rule. 

Shrimp Sauce. — Pick half a pint of shrimps, and boil the 
skins in a gill of water for fifteen minutes ; strain the Avater, and 
add to it half a pint of melted butter, also the flesh of the shrimps, 
and simmer all for a few minutes. Add to it a little anchovy. 
7 



08 riNNF.K. 

Parsfet/^ chopped and propurod uitli the molted Inittor, makea 
a g\x>d sauoe. 

A littlo vinouar is thought bv some co. 'ks to improve those 

SiiUCOS. 

Lok<fers. — TiObstors should ho hoilod a long time ; they are 
more healthful if long Knled. They should be out open down the 
baok ; there is a vein, or bloodvessel, uhioh runs the length of 
the baok, and loads in the head to Nvhat is oalled t/w huii/ in the 
chair: this vein nmst be removed, sinoe it is jxnsouous. 

Pr. Taloy, having boon out tishing for a uhole day, >vas asked 
on his return if he had mot with gvod sjx>rt, '* Oh, yes," said 
he, *• 1 have oaught no tish to bo sure, but 1 have made a sermon." 

ScoIIojk'J OjjsU>\<. — KoU oraokers very fine, and eover the 
bottom of a Iv^king-dish, previously buttered, with them. Spread 
a layer of oysters over these erumbs : pepper and salt them, and 
drop on bits of butter: eover with a layer of erumbs, and thus 
alternate the layers until your dish is full, having the crumbs 
oovor the top. Plaoe it then in a hot oven, that the top n\ay 
Invwn nioely ; bake aKnit twenty minutes. Xo liquid is put in 
this dish ; not even the liquor of the oysters, for the butter moistens 
it sufficiently. A quart of oysters w ill make a nice dish. 

rhilip 11., of Spain, gave as a reason for not eating tish, that 
they "are nothing but element congealed, or a jelly of water." 

Plain Oifsfer Pie. — Lay the o\*sters in your Kiking-dish ; put 
SiUt, pepjH?r, and bits of butter to them; sprinkle a little flour 
over them ; make a putl" paste and cover it. A small cup, in- 
verted and set in the middle of the dish lH?fore covering with the 
paste, will prevent the latter from settling, and makes it lighter. 



FISH. 99 

Rich Oyster Pie. — To one hundred and fifty oysters take eiglit 
eggs, two ounces of butter, with cloves, mace, nutmeg, salt, pepper, 
and a piece of stale hread grated fine. Spread a paste around the 
sides of the dish. Season the oysters with the spice to your taste. 
Boil the eggs hard, and chop them fine ; mix them with the bread, 
and stir all with the oysters, putting them into the dish. Break 
the butter into bits, and stir them in. Cover with puff paste. 

There is a legend, which assigns the first act of oyster-eating 
to a very natural cause. " A man, walking one day, picked up 
one of these sayory bivalves, just as it was in the act of gaping. 
Observing the extreme smoothness of the interior of the shell, he 
insinuated his finger between them, that he might feel their 
shining surface, when suddenly they closed upon the exploring 
digit with a sensation less pleasurable than he anticipated. The 
prompt withdrawal of his finger was scarcely a more natural 
movement than its transfer to his mouth ; — the result was most 
fortunate. The owner of the finger tasted oyster-juice for the 
first time, as the Chinaman in Elia's essay, having burnt his 
finger, first tasted cracklin. The savor was delicious — he Lad 
made a great discovery ; so he picked up the oyster, forced open 
the shells, banqueted upon their contents, and soon brought 
oyster-eating into fashion. And, unlike most fashions, it has 
never gone, and is never likely to go out." 

Choivder. — Fry brown several slices of pork ; cut each fish 
into five or six pieces, flour, and place a layer of thorn in your 
pork fat ; sprinkle on a little pepper and salt; add cloves, mace, 
and sliced onions ; if liked lay on bits of the fried pork and 
crackers soaked in cold water. Repeat this until you put in all 
the fish ; turn on just water enough to cover thern. After stew- 
ing about twenty minutes, take up the fish, and mix two tea- 
spoonsful of flour with a little water, and stir it into the gravy. 



100 DINNER. 



adding a little in^ppcr and bnttor . A tumbler of wine catsup, and 
spices will improve it. Cod and bass make tlie best chowder. 
lu making clam chowder, the hard part of tlie clam should be cut 
oft' and rejected. 

Daniel Webster was very skilful in the preparation of chow- 
der. 

C'\ti'i(()' is the common name for a preparation of the dried 
spawn, or salted roe offish. The black caviar, is made from the 
roe oi' sturgeon, and a single largo fish will sometimes yield as 
much as one hundred and twenty pounds of roe. A cheaper and 
less prized red kind, is obtained from the roe of the gray mullet, 
and some of the carp species, which are common in the rivers, 
and on the shores oi the Black Sea. Caviar is principally con- 
sumed in Eussia, Germany, and Italy, by the Greeks, during their 
long fasts, and also in small quantities in England. Inferior 
caviar is made into small dry cakes. 

Fish maws, are the dried stomachs of fishes, like our cod's 
sounds ; they are considered great luxuries by the Chinese. 

A preparation called hoiargo, is made from the spawn of a 
kind of line mullet of a red color. The best is made in Tunis. 

The roe oi the poIlocTc, is said to make very good bread ; the 
dried roe i^'i an enormous species of shad, which frequents a river 
in Sumatra, constitutes an article of commerce in the East. 

A favorite winter dish in Aberdeen, and also in Limerick, Ire- 
land, is '* boiled haddocks," or '• stappit heads ; " the heads being 
filled with a mixture of oatmeal, onions, and pepper ; served with 
drawn butter. 

There is a tradition in Catholic countries that the haddock was 
the fish out of whose month the Apostle took the tribute money ; 
and that the two dark spots near its gills, preserve to this day the 
impression of his tlnimb and finger. 



FISH. 101 

Pirorja or Fiah Cake. — In the pastry cook shops of lliissia, the 
tempting morsel offered to Russian appetites is the piroga, an oily 
fish-cake. Little benches are ranged round tables, on which the 
favorite dainty is placed, covered over with an oily canvas, for it 
must be eaten hot. A large pot of green oil, and a stand of salt 
are in readiness, and as soon as a purchaser demands a piroga, it 
is withdrawn from its cover, plunged into the oil, sprinkled with 
salt, and presented dripping to the delighted Muscovite. 

The Sardine. — That highly esteemed fish, the sardine, is 
found chiefly in the Mediterranean. The small ones, caught on 
the coast of Provenqe, in France, are esteemed the best. The 
French frequently cure them in red brine, and when thus pre- 
pared, designate them anchovied sardines. 

In 1852, five hundred and seventy-six millions of sardines 
were taken on the coast of Brittany, wdiich extends about two 
hundred miles. Half of these were sold fresh, and the other half 
preserved in oil. The preparation, transport, and sale of the fish, 
employ ten thousand persons. 

In Java and Sumatra, a preparation of small fish, with red 
rice, having the appearance of anchovies, and the color of red 
cabbage, is esteemed a delicacy. So in India, the preparation 
called " Tamarind fish," is much prized. 

" The fish being cleaned, is cut up into small pieces or junks, 
and well mixed with tamarinds, in a conserved state, but without 
sugar. The mixture is then put into jars, and in a short time 
the acid of the tamarind penetrates the fish, completely dissolving 
the bones and cartilages, and imparting to it a delicate garnet 
color, and delicious flavor. A piece of tamarind fish fried with 
rice, forms a very agreeable relish, and I am surprised it has not 
found its Avay to this country." — Capt.. Bellew 

Anchovy. — This small fish is caught at several places in the 



102 DINNER. 

Mediterranean. Those taken at Gorgona, are considered the best 
and receive their name from this circumstance. At first, the 
bodies being separated from the entrails and heads, are salted 
and packed in casks ; but on their arrival in their destined port, 
they are repacked in bottles. They are a favorite relish with 
many persons, being taken from the bottles and eaten raw. 

Baked fish. — ^lake a dressing of bread well chopped and 
seasoned, and stuff your fish. To keep it together, wind thread 
or twine several times around it ; lay two skewers on the baking 
pan, and melt a good piece of butter in it before laying the fish 
therein. The skewers are used to prevent the fish burning on 
the pan. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and flour, over your fish, and 
spread bits of butter on the top. Bake in a quick oven, that it 
may brown well. The fish should not be turned over ; imless 
very large it will cook in half an hour. Take it up carefully, 
that you do not break it. Then add to the gravy in the pan (if 
it be not burned) more butter, a little flour and Mater, boil it 
up, pour over the fish, and serve. This rule applies to bass, cod, 
pike, or white fish. 

Another and very good mode 'of preparing fish, is to rub tlie 
back bone of the fish after it is well cleansed, with pounded salt- 
petre ; season it with pepper, salt, nutmeg, cloves, mace, and all- 
spice. Put it in a pan with sufticient vinegar to cover it, and set 
it in an oven to bake. If the fisli be very large, two or three 
hours may be necessary to cook it. 

" Cardinal Fesch, the uncle of Napoleon the Great, had in- 
vited a select party of clerical magnates to dinner. By a fortu- 
nate coincidence, two turbots of singular beauty arrived as pre- 
sents to his eminence on the very morning of the feast. To 
serve them both would have appeared ridiculous ; but the car- 
flinal was most anxious to have the credit o^hoth. lie imparted 



FISH. 103 

his embarrassment to his chef. ' Be of good cheer, your emi 
neuce,' was the reply ; ' both shall appear ; both shall enjoy the 
reception which is their due.' The dinner was served ; one of 
the turbots relieved the soup, and delight was in every face. 
The maitre d'hotel advances ; two attendants raise the turbot, 
and carry him off to cut him up. One of them loses his equili- 
brium ; the attendants and the turbot roll together upon the floor. 
At this sad sight, the assembled cardinals became pale as death, 
and a solemn silence reigned in the conclave. Intense disappoint- 
ment was expressed on every priestly face. ' Bring another 
turbot,' says the maitre d'hotel to the attendant, with the utmost 
coolness. And now intense delight took the place of disappoint- 
ment on each cardinal's face ; and the host was conscious of 
another laurel added to his gastronomic crown." 

Both the Syrians and Egyptians abstained from eating fish, 
out of dread and abhorrence ; and when the latter would repre- 
sent any thing as odious, or express hatred, by hieroglyphics, they 
painted a fish. 

The poissards, or fish-women of Paris, form a sort of body- 
corporate. In revolutionary times they have been powerful, not 
only with their tongues, but with weapons ; they are equally 
notorious for their violence, and volubility in talk. They pre- 
sented themselves in a body at the palace of Louis Napoleon 
upon the birth of the young prince, to congratulate the emperor 
and to offer a splendid bouquet of flowers ; they were permitted 
to enter the state apartment of the infant. 



104 DIAT!^ER. 



MEATS. 



-" Cook, see all your sawccs 



Be sharp and poynant in the palate, that they may 

Commend you; look to your roast and baked meats handsomely, 

And Avhat new kickshaws and delicate made things." 

Beaumont and Fletciiek, 

Rules for Roasting or Baldng Meat. — In roasting, you should 
have a quick fire, in order to contract the fibres on the surface, 
and thus retain all the natural juices of the meat. When this is 
done at first, an inward steam is produced, and the meat is 
cooked by its own steam, and, when served, will be juicy and 
nice. 

If, however, there be a slow heat at first, these juices are 
started ; they all run into the pan, and you serve a dried-up, 
tasteless dish, instead of the rich, savory one you might have had. 

After the first heat, however, a more moderate fire is best, 
that it may cook gently. Eoast meats should be dredged with 
flour, just at the time when the gravy begins to appear ; the flour 
absorbs it, and forms a coating which retains the juices. The 
remarks respecting heat more particularly apply to the ckirk 
meats, as beef, mutton, and venison. Lamb, veal, and porJc, if 
young and tender, should be done at a moderate fire. Veal 
should be covered with paper. Very rich meat, if covered with 
paper, does not require basting. Fowls should be placed close to 
the fire to set the skin, and in about ten minutes rubbed over 
with a small piece of butter, pressed in a spoon. Hares and 
small game should be dredged with flour, as is previously men- 
tioned for the roast meats. The French and Germans lard their 
meats, wdiich is to introduce slips of salt pork under the skin by 
means of a larding needle, as it is termed. It is a great improve- 



MEATS. 105 

ment to lean meats. This needle is a piece of steel, from six to 
nine inclies long, pointed at one end and having four slits at the 
other, which will hold a strip of bacon between them. Cut the 
pieces of bacon two or three inches long, and a quarter to half an 
inch wide, put each one after the other in the pin, insert it in the 
meat, and leave only half an inch out. 

" Louis XL, of France, once took it into his head to visit the 
kitchen, and see what was going forward. He there found a 
little fellow, about fourteen years of age, busily engaged in turn- 
ing the spit with roast meat. The youth was handsomely formed, 
and of so engaging an appearance, that the king thought him en- 
titled to some better office than the humble one he then filled. 
Accosting him, Louis asked whence he came, who he was, and 
what he earned by his occupation. The turnspit did not know 
the king, and replied to his interrogatories without the least em- 
barrassment : * I am from Berry, my name is Stephen, and I 
earn as much as the king.' ^ What, then, does the king earn ? ' 
asked Louis. ' His expenses,' rej^lied Stephen, ' and I mine.' 
By this bold and ingenious answer he won the good graces of the 
monarch, who afterwards promoted him to the situation of groom 
of the chamber." 

Roast Beef. — Put the beef into the pan with a little water, 
then set it into a quick oven, but do not season it until it is about 
half cooked ; then take it out, salt, pepper, and flour it, return it 
to the oven, and after this, while it is cooking, baste it frequently. 
It is more tender when seasoned thus than if done at first. The 
time for cooking depends upon the size of the piece, but an hour 
is sufficient for one weighing five or six pounds. If you wish it 
rare, three quarters of an hour will be enough. 

It is best to use scorched flour for the gravy, to make it dark. 
If the meat be very fat, turn off the top from the gravy, leaving 



106 DIKN^ER. 

the remainder for that purpose. Stir in a little flour, and per 
haps add a few spoonsful of water. 

Tomato sauce should be served with the beef. 

The Sirloin of Beef. — There is a laughable tradition, current 
in Lancashire, that King James I., in one of his visits there, 
knighted, at a banquet in Houghton tower, a loin of beef, the 
part "ever since called the sirloin. The tradition is also related 
of Charles II. Hence the epigram — 

" Our second Charles, of fiime facete, 
Ou loin of meat did dine ; 
He held his sword, pleased, o'er the meat, 
' Rise up, thou fimied Sir Loin.' " 

A Baron of Beef — A baron of beef is the name of the two sir- 
loins roasted and brought to the table undivided ; a baron being 
of twice the dignity of a knight. This is now, as formerly, a 
favorite dish in England at Christmas, and other great festivities. 
On Christmas day, a baron of beef is enthroned in St. George's 
Hall in AVindsor Castle, and is borne in by lacqueys in scarlet 
and gold. 

Roast or Baked Venison. — ^Venison should be kept several days 
before cooking. Prepare a nice dressing of bread crumbs, butter, 
salt, pepper, thyme, or summer-savory ; then run a sharp knife 
into the meat, so as to insert the stuffing in different places. 
When this is done, gash the upper side, sprinkle salt, pepper, 
and flour over it, and spread on butter. Some cooks cover the 
whole with a thin crust of paste, to keep it moist while roasting. 
But if you put it for the lirst fifteen or twenty minutes to a strong 
heat, this serves the same purpose, by contracting the surface, 
after which cook it slowly. Baste it frequently ; it is sometimes 
basted with wine. Add wine or currant jelly to the gravy. 



MEATS. 107 

A Singular Spit. — The most singular spit in the world is that 
of the Count de Castel Maria, one of the most opulent lords of 
Treviso. This spit turns one hundred and thirty different roasts at 
once, and plays tiventy-four tunes, and whatever it plays corre- 
sponds to a certain degree of cooking, which is perfectly under- 
stood by the cook. Thus, a leg of mutton a V A?iglaise, will be 
excellent at the twelfth air ; a fowl a la Flamande, will be juicy 
at the eighteenth, and so on. — Furet de Londres. 

In olden times dogs were sometimes employed as turnspits. 
The dog was put upon a wheel connected with the spit, after the 
manner of the dog-churns of the present day. A hot coal was 
put upon it also, which, if he stopped moving his feet, would burn 
them. This wheel turned the spit, and often the piece of meat 
roasting wa,s twice the weight of the dog. 

Roast Mutton. — A leg of mutton, kept several days, until it is 
tender, and then dressed after the manner of venison, is nearly 
as good as the latter. 

" A person would pay a crown at any time for a venison 
ordinary ; but after having dined on veal or mutton, he would 
not give a penny to have had it venison." — Sterne. 

It is the custom in Egypt and other hot climates, to cook the 
meat as soon as killed, with the same view of making it tender, 
which makes northern people keep it until decomposition is be- 
ginning. This explains the order of Joseph, to " slay and make 
ready " for his brethren. 

The Kit'Kat Club. — " One of the most widely famed clubs of 
the last century was the Kit-Kat club, which, originating in the 
determination to meet periodically, for the laudable and social 
purpose of discussing the super-excellent mutton jnes manufactured 
by Mr. Christopher Kat, — resulted in what in these days would be 
called a Reform Club." — Chron. of Fashion. 



108 DINNER. 



Roast Veal. — Prepare a dressing the same as for venison ; run 
a sharp knife into the small end of the leg next the bone, run it 
round until you have made an opening large enough to hold your 
dressing; force it in, then run your knife across the round in 
gashes ; then pepper, salt, butter, and flour it. While it cooks, 
baste frequently, and when served, make a good gravy. Lamb 
may be prepared in the same way, but it does not require much 
dressing. A good way to serve roast veal for a second day's 
dinner, is to cover it entirely witli a plain pic crust, having first 
laid on strips of salt pork. Bake it well, and when you serve cut 
each slice through crust and meat. 

A French CooISs tn'innph over the vatiiral difficulties of Veal. — 
" A French officer undertook, for a wager, to produce a soldier 
in his company who would eat a calf of a certain age. The bet 
was accepted. The soldier, without any reluctance, undertook to 
do his best, and the day and hour were fixed for the trial. " The 
carcase of the calf was handed over to an artist, with instructions 
to do his best with it, but religiously to serve up the whole. At 
the appointed time it appeared on table in a variety of costumes, 
all more or less inviting. With a light heart and a lively coun- 
tenance, the soldier addressed himself to his task. Dish after 
dish disappeared before him, as he commended their flavor, and 
talked gayly of the affairs of the day. The commencement was a 
prosperous one, and delighted his backer. In this easy, trifling 
manner, more than half the table was cleared, when, to the dis- 
may of his captain, the soldier paused, and laid down his knife 
and fork. It was a moment of terrible suspense. The opposite 
party, who had been losing heart during these earlier operations, 
now began to glow with new hope. ])ut the triumph w\as short- 
lived. * Mon capitaine,' said the soldier, with all imaginable 
vivacity, neither liis voice nor his countenance indicating any thing 
like repletion, ' these entremets are really very seductive, but if I 



MEATS. lOG 

eat any more of them I shall spoil my appetite for the calf.' The 
result need not be declared. In England, the unfortunate man 
would have sat down to loins and fillets, and would have either 
broken down before these mountains of solid flesh, or died of an 
indigestion." — North British Review. 

Veal Cutlet. — Cut the veal in good, fair slices ; beat an Q^g, 
and after dipping each slice in the Q^g, turn it in flour, or rolled 
crackers, which is best ; salt and pepper them, and fry them in 
hot butter. When the meat is cooked and taken up, add more 
butter to the gravy, dredge to it a little flour, with a spoonful or 
two of water ; let it boil, then pour over the meat, and serve. 

Commons. — " In the old times, at colleges, meals were taken 
in a hall of the college, and provided by the authorities. This 
was called living in commons. On Mondays and Thursdays, the 
meat was boiled ; these were called ' boiling days.' On other 
days the meat was roasted ; these were ' roasting days.' Two 
potatoes were allowed to each person. On ' boiling days,' pud- 
ding and cabbage were added to the bill of fare, and, in the 
season, greens — either dandelion or green peas, and bread. 
Cider was the beverage. Xo regular supper was provided, but a 
bowl of bread and milk supplied the place of the evening meal. 
The butter was sometimes so bad that a farmer would not take it 
to grease his cart-wheels with. 

" It was the usual practice of the steward, when veal M'as 
cheap, to furnish it to the students three, four, and sometimes 
five times in a week ; the same with reference to lamb. The 
students, after eating this latter kind of meat for five or six suc- 
•cessive weeks, would often assemble before the steward's house, 
and, as if their natures had been changed by their diet, would 
bleat and blatter until he was fain to promise them a change of 
food, upon which they would separate, until a recurrence of the 
same evil compelled them to the same measures." 



-Jj 



110 DIXNEE. 

lloast Pig. — Sprinkle the pig with fine salt, an hour before you 
prepare the stuffing. Make a nice stuffing, as for a turkey. 
Salt, pepper, and flour the pig, and roast it in a steady oven, one 
not too hot, or it will blister and deface its beauty ; but so as to 
give it a light brown, crispy appearance. The feet must be pre- 
viously taken off at the first joint, and boiled with the heart and 
liver. When the eyes drop out, the pig is half cooked ; w^hen it 
is nearly done, baste it with butter. A pig of medium size will 
cook in three hours. "When done, take off the head, open it, and 
take out the brains ; chop them with the heart and liver ; work 
butter and a little flour together, and stir with the former in a 
sauce-pan, with boiling water, for gravy. Add to it the drippings 
from the pan, and season it with sweet marjoram and sage. 

Many people do not remove the head before placing it on the 
table, as the pig looks better whole. In that case, make the 
gravy without the brains. 

^4 Dissertation upon Roast Pig. — Mankind, says a Chinese 
manuscript, (which my friend M. was oblighig enough to read 
and explain to me,) for the first seventy thousand ages, ate their 
meat raw, clawing or biting it from the living animal just as they 
do in Abyssmia to this day. 

Tlie art of roasting, or rather broiling, (which I take to be the 
elder brother.) was accidentally discovered in the mamier follow- 
ing : The swine-herd Ho-ti, having gone out into the woods one 
Inorning, as his manner was, to collect mast for his hogs, left 
his cottage in the care of his eldest son, Bo-bo, a great lubberly 
boy, who, being fond of playing with fire, let some sparks escape 
into a bundle of straw, which, kindling quickly, spread the con- 
flagration over every part of their poor mansion, till it was re- 
duced to ashes. Together with the cottage, what was of much 
more importance, a fine litter of new farrowed pigs, no less than 
nine in number, perished. China pigs have been esteemed a 



MEATS. Ill 

luxury all over the East, from the remotest periods we read of. 
Bo-bo was in the utmost consternation, as you may think, not so 
much for the sake of the tenement, which his father and he could 
easily build up again with a few dry branches, and the labor of 
an hour or two, at any time, as for the loss of the pigs. While 
he was thinking what he should say to his father, and wringing 
his hands, an odor assailed his nostrils unlike any scent which he 
had before experienced. What could it proceed from ? not from 
the burnt cottage ; he had smelt that before, indeed this was by 
no means the first accident of the kind which had occurred 
through the negligence of this unlucky firebrand. A premoni- 
tory moistening at the same time overflowed his nether lips. 
He knew not what to think. lie next stooped down to feel the 
pig if there were any signs of life in it. He burnt his fingers, 
and to cool them he applied them in his booby fashion to his mouth. 
Some of the crumbs of the scorched skin had come away with his 
fingers, and for the first time in his life (in the world's life, in- 
deed, for before him no man had known it) he tasted — cracklinr/ ! 
Again he felt and fumbled at the pig. It did not burn him so 
much now ; still he licked his fingers from a sort of habit. The 
truth at length broke into his slow understanding, that it was the 
pig that smelt so, and the pig that tasted so delicious ; and sur- 
rendering himself up to the new-born pleasure, he fell to tearing 
up whole handsful of the scorched skin with the flesh next it, and 
was cramming it down his throat in his beastly fashion, when his 
sire entered amid the smoking rafters, and finding how affairs 
stood, began to rain blows upon the young rogue's shoulders, as 
thick as hailstones, which Bo-bo heeded not any more than if 
they had been flies. The tickling pleasure which he experienced 
in his lower regions, had rendered him quite callous to any in- 
conveniences he might feel in those remote quarters. Bo-bo's 
scent being wonderfully sharpened since morning, soon raked out 
another pig, and fairly rending it asunder, thrust the lesser half 



1 ] 2 DINNER. 

by main force into the fists of Ho-ti, still shouting out, " Eat, eat ; 
eat the burnt pig, father ; only taste." 

In conclusion, (for the manuscript here is a little tedious,) 
both father and son fairly sat down to the mess, and never left 
off, till they had despatched all that remained of the litter. 

Bo-bo was strictly enjoined not to let the secret escape; 
nevertheless, strange stories got about. It was observed that 
Ho-ti's cottage was burnt down now more frequently than ever. 
As often as the sow farrowed, so sure was the house of Ho-ti to 
be in a blaze. At length they were watched, the terrible mystery 
discovered, and fiither and son summoned to take their trial at 
Peking, then an inconsiderable assize town. Evidence was given, 
the obnoxious food itself produced in court, and verdict about to 
be pronounced, when the foreman of the jury, begged that some 
of the burnt pig, of which the culprits stood accused, might be 
handed into the box. He handled it, and they all handled it, and 
burning their fingers, as Bo-bo and his father had done before 
them, and nature prompting to each of them the same remedy, 
against the face of all the facts, and the clearest charge, which 
judge had ever given, to the surprise of the whole court, towns- 
folk, strangers, reporters, and all present, without leaving the 
box, or any manner of consultation whatever, they brought in a 
simultaneous verdict of not guilty. 

The judge, Avho was a shrewd fellow, winked at the manifest 
iniquity of the decision ; and when the court was dismissed, went 
privately and bought up all the pigs, that could be had for love 
or money. In a few days his lordship's town-house was observed 
to be on fire. The thing took wing, and now there was nothing 
to be seen but fires in every direction. Euel and pigs grew 
enormously dear all over the district. The insurance offices one 
and all shut up shop. At length a discovery was made that the 
flesh of swine, or indeed of any other animal, might be cooked, 
without the necessity of consuming a whole house to dress it. 



MEATS. IVi 

Then first l>egan the rude form of a gridiron. Roasting by the 
string or spit, came in a century or two later, I forget in whose 
dynasty. Without placing too implicit faith in the account above 
given, it must be agreed, that if a worthy pretext for so danger- 
ous an experiment as setting houses on fire, could be assigned in 
favor of any culinary object, that pretext and excuse might be 
found in 7'oast pig. 

Of all delicacies in the whole mundus edibilis, I will maintain 
it to be the most delicate — princeps obsoniorum. I speak not 
of your grown porkers, things between pig and pork, but a young 
and tender suckling, under a moon old, guiltless as yet of the 
sty. 

Jle must he roasted, I am not ignorant that our ancestors 
ate them seethed, or boiled, but what a sacrifice of the exterior 
tegumen ! There is no flavor comparable, I will contend, to that 
of the crisp, tawny, well watched, not over roasted, crackling as 
it is well called ; the very teeth are invited to their share of the 
pleasure of this banquet in overcoming the coy, brittle resistance, 
with the adhesive oleaginous — oh, call it not fat, but an indefin- 
able sweetness growing up to it ; the tender blossoming of fat — 
fat cropped in the bud — fat and lean so blended and running into 
each other, that both together make but one ambrosial result or 
common substance. Behold him while he is doing — it seemeth 
rather a refreshing warmth, than a scorcliing heat, that he is so 
passive to. How equably he twirleth round the skin ! Now he 
is just done. 

See him on the dish, his second cradle, how meek he lieth ! 
Wouldst thou have had this innocent grow up to the grossncss 
and indocility w^hich too often accompany maturer swinehood ? 

Our ancestors w^ere nice in their method of sacrificing these 
tender victims. We read of pigs whipped to death, with some- 
thing of a shock, as we Ifear of any other obsolete custom. It 
would be curious to inquire what eflect this process might have 
8 



114 DIXNEK. 

towards inteiiorating and dulcifying a substance, naturally so mild 
1 1 and dulcet as the tlesh of young pigs. It looks like refining a 
violet. Yet we should be cautious, while we condemn the inhu- 
manity, how we censure the wisdom of the practice. It might 
impart a gusto. 
.: His sauce should be considered. Decidedly, a tew bread 

crumbs, done up with his liver and brains, and a dash of mild 
,, Siige. But. banish, dear Mrs. Cook, I beseech you. the whole 
onion tribe. Barbecue your whole hogs to your palate, steep them 
in shalots, stutf them out with the rank and guilty garlic : you 
cannot poison them, or make them stronger than they are. — but 
consider, he is a weakling, a tlower. — Lamb's Ussa>/s. 

lu the year IGGl. a gathering of nobility and gentry took 
place at Xewcastle. England, to celebrate a great amiivei*sary, 
w hen. on account of tlie number of guests, each was required to 
bring his own dish of meat. Of coui-se there Avas a sort of com- 
petition, in wliich each strove for pre-eminence : but the specimen 
of Sir George Goring, was considered the masterpiece. " It con- 
sisted ot\r'our liupe, brawny jptps, piping hot, bitted and harnessed 
with ropes of sausage, all tied to a monstrous bap-puddinff.'^ 



Boast Fork. — Pork should be well sprinkled with s^Ut. pepper, 
and Hour, and then roi^sted before a good fire, or in a quick oven, 
with but little water in the dripping-pan. Pt.»rk needs more 
cooirinij than any other meat. To ascertain when it is done, 
thrust a fork into it. and if the blood does not follow it, it is 
sufficiently cooked. Turn otl' the tat: stir a little flour and 
water to the gravy and season to your taste. Scorched flour is 
best for gi-avies. Apple sauce is the proper accompmiiment. 

Balrd Fori: and Beans. — "Wash a quart of dried beans 
thoroughly, and put them over the fire In a kettle of cold water ; 
add also a pound of rather lemi Siilt pork, with the rind cut into 



MEATS. 115 

several rows. When the water becomes scalding hot, change it 
by pouring the beans into a cullender, and thus draining off the 
water. Replace them in the kettle, throw in a bit of saleratus 
the size of a pea, pour on cold water, and let them boil again. 
Change the water thus four times^ and then let them boil 
until they are soft. Now take all up into a deep baking dish, 
with only the rind of the pork exposed at the top. Pepper well, 
and bake until brown. It is well, if convenient, to soak the 
beans over night. They make a good dish when cooked without 
the pork ; they then should have a little butter to season them. 

Roast Turkey.- — After properly washing the turkey, if it be 
an old one, parboil it by laying it in a kettle of cold water, with a 
little salt in it, and leaving it over the fire until the water be- 
comes scalding hot ; a young turkey should not be scalded. 
Then take it out and stuff it with a dressing previously prepared. 
For dressing^ chop bread fine, season it with salt, pepper, sweet 
marjoram or summer-savory, and butter half the size of an egg; 
some cooks add an egg also. Wet the dressing with a little 
milk, add half a dozen raw oysters to it, and stuff the turkey. 
Sew up the opening with two or three stitches of coarse thread. 
Lay the turkey on the pan, and if you like, truss it by passing 
skewers under the legs, and tying the wings together over the 
back. Dredge it well with flour, salt, and pepper, and unless the 
turkey be very fat, lay bits of butter upon it. Pour a little hot 
water into the pan, and set the turkey into the oven. A large 
turkey requires two hours to roast, and sometimes longer. Al- 
ways watch it carefully, that it may neither burn nor dry down, 
and replenish the water in the pan when necessary, from the hot 
tea-kettle. Baste frequently. 

In the mean time, boil the gizzard, liver, and heart in a sauce- 
pan, and when tender, chop them fine ; work with them a little 
flour and butter. When the turkey is cooked tender, wliich you 



116 DINNER. 

^Yill aseortaiu l\v trying it with a fork, take it upon a platter. 
Skim tlio fat from the gravy in the dripping-pan, and then add the 
remainder to the gravy of the liver, ote., before prepared. Lay 
into the gravy a few oysters, stir it until it boils a minute or t^YO, 
and then serve. 

A turkey when well-eooked, should be evenly browned all 
over. Cranberry sauee or Currant jelly is the proper aeeom- 
paniment. 

There is a Greek proverb, that the persons at a soeial repast 
should not be less in number than the Graees. nor more than the 
Muses. 

Sydney Smith, so famous for his brilliant soeial qualities, says, 
" Most London dinners evaporate in whispers to one's next door 
neighbor. I make it a rule never to speak a word to mine, but 
tire aeross the table." 

Ixoast Chickens. — Wash them thoroughly and sprinkle a little 
salt inside of them. Stutl* them as you do a turkey, and wind 
around eaeh a strong thread to keep it in shape. Salt, pepper, 
and flour them, and spread bits of butter over them. Lay skew- 
ers aeross the bottom of the pan, plaee your ehiekens thereon, 
pour a little water in the pan and cook in a quick oven. Baste 
frequently, and see that the ehiekens are evenly browned. Make 
the gravy as in the roast turkey, with or without oysters ; though 
the latter are ahvays an improvement, yet they are not essential. 
Half or three quarters of an hour will usually eook them. If the 
fowls are old and tough, they should be parboiled previous to 
roasting. 

" The capou burns, the pig falls from the spit ; 
The clock hath struck twelve upon the bell ; 
My mistress made it one upon mv cheek — 
She is so hot, because the meat is cold ; 
The meat is cold because vou come uot home. 



MEATS. 117 

Methinks your maw, like mine, should be your clock, 
And strike you home without a messenger. 
My charge was but to fetch you from the mart 
Home to your house, the Phoenix, sir, to dinner — 
My mistress and her sister stay for you." 

Comedy of Errors. 

Roast Goose^ {after the German mode.) — Ruh the goose 
over night with salt, pepper, sage, thyme, and sweet marjoram, 
inside and out ; in the morning prepare the dressing as follows. 
A large handful of stoned raisins, and Zante currants, to bread- 
crumbs, a couple of sour apples chopped fine, and one mealy po- 
tato, with butter mixed in, and all well rolled together ; but put 
no spices in the dressing. For the gravy, boil the giblets in a 
little water and mash the liver in a spoonful of flour, chop the 
gizzard, stir these in the liquid they were boiled in, add it to the 
gravy in the dripping-pan, sprinkle in a little thyme, sage, and 
sweet marjoram, and it is done. Serve the gravy separately. 

When the goose is cooked and served, garnish it with sliced 
lemons, and a few sprigs of green parsley. 

Itoa^t Goose. — If the goose be an old one, put it in a pot with 
cold water, and let it remain until the water becomes boiling 
hot ; then take it out, put an onion inside of it, but no other 
dressing. Roast it then, watching it that it do not get too much 
browned. If the gravy be too fat, as is generally the case, take 
off the top, sprinkle in a little flour, and, if you like, add a few 
oysters ; let it boil up, and serve. 

Onions and apple-sauce are the peculiar accompaniments of a 
goose. 

The goose is not much valued m France as a dish, and seldom 
appears upon the tables of Parisian epicures. They esteem the 
flesh coarse and unwholesome ; but they prize the licers highly, 
when made into pies and truffled ; pates de foxes gras are considered 



us \>\N\'KK, 

vt^ry ilelioatt*, and a jjreat luxury ; yet nothin^u' oan l>e mor© uu 
\vhvvUvjsvv»u<\ i^invH^ tl\t>{i5t^ o«larj:[\Hl liveinii aiv the oonstHjueiUM? i\t' 
dbt\i^. This vUjiJi has prvnevl fatal to many epiouivs. 

A\h|}5# 7>«*"j(>\ — A j\Hir of yvMU\g duoks make a very nice 
iluuxor. They rei^uire uv> stutliug. Put a raw oi\ioi\ insdde of 
^\»oh, a:>5 thiiii aiUls to the flavor. If they arx> not fat, s^jnwul a 
little hutter over tlunu, v^r a $livN> of salt jvrk, after they ai^ 
vlrtnl^wl wiih 5s:vlt, jvpiHT, and tlour. Kv\ist half au hour in a 
v\u\ok oven. Serve vvith oniv^ns, |vtat<K\<, and appk^^iiuoe. 

HtHM Jf^i'AYjif. — Stuff your turkey as for rv>a$tiug ; put it in 
KnUug water, and Iwil it sQowly. An hour and a half will W 
sutlKnent to Kxil it, if it Iv a !«nall one. For ifnuy^ dip out half 
a pint of the water in which the turkey wt\$ IviKxh AVv>rk a 
table-sjwxuful v^f tUnir into a ^nj^U cup of butter, stir it into the 
sauctsjxMi, add a junt of oysters, salt, etc,, to \v\ir taste ; let it 
KmI two or thr^v minutes, and serve. A KhU\1 turkey is some- 
times servevl with the melttxl butter jxnireil over it, and garnished 
with jvvcsley ; but when then^ are oysters in the i:r.^vY it shv^u^l 
be s^^rveil sej>arately. 



iKH^ttKi Cikirfi K^9^j AYtv, — (Cy>«^Wiv* JAnft'.)— IhhI the chicken 
in stttlk'ieiit water to ovner it : when it is tender, take it iip and 
thrvHv into the kettle of the svHip a tea-cup of rice, or moitv, ae- 
cvxrvliu^ tv* the size of the chicken ; when the rice is cvx^eil, lay 
the chk'ken back in the kettle, leaving it until it is well heatevl 
agT*in ; then ser%e it on a platter, the chicken b^ingr entirely cov- 
erv\l w ith the rice, 

*4 vi^Mit*;^ -CssM^Y. — " To White Hall, where I stayed till the 
IXike of York came frv^in hunting:, which he di^l by-aud-by, and, 
when dressevl, divl come out to dinner, and iher^ I waitevl ; and 



T 



MEATS. 119 



he did rna^ify mightily hi« -gia?/<5<?, which he did then eat, with 
every thing, and said it wa« the be«t univereal «auce in the world, 
it being taught him by the Spanish am1>a«8ador. Ma/le of gome 
Itfirnl/rij and a dry UxjM, beat in a mortar, together with viri/:(far. 
unit, and a little jpe///)^?' ; he eat» it with fle«h, or fowl, or fi^li.** 
The duke &jmmtn<hi wome Navarre wine, "but I di/1 like better 
the notion of the sauce, and by-and-by did ta»te it, and liked it 
1 1 mightily." — Pep\'8. 

Partn/J/jc. — If it is to be hsiked in an oven, put it in a [juj^^t 
pan or baking-^liiih ; gait, pepper, and butter it v:dL ; bake Jialf an 
hour, hunting it frequently. Serve currant jelly with it. 

^ Co/nadtan recei/jt/or cookir/fj a Partridfje, wfdch may be vm/uX 
If) ^[ffjrtmij'ji, on/l Traveller'^. — '* Kr-i/edy/ioa is the maxim of all 
Kvlvan cookery, and as plucking the feathers of a partridge would 
h<i too great a tax on the time and patience of the voyager, the 
method most in vogue is U) run your hunting-knife round his 
throat and ankles, and down his breast, when, taking a leg in 
eaf:h hand, and pressing your thumb into his back, you pop him 
out of his skin, as you 'fould a pea from its po*L Then make a 
spread-eagle of him on a forked twig, the other extremity of 
which is thrust into the ground, and after wrapping a rasher of 
bacon around his neck, and under his wings, as ladies wear a 
ftcarf^ you incline him to the fire, turning the spit in the groan^L 
and you will have a result such as Soyer might be proud o£ 

" When your other av<x^tions will not afford time e^en for 
the skinning process, an alternative mode Is to make a paste of 
ashes and water, and roll up the bird therein, with the feathers 
and all the appurtenances thereof and thrast the performance 
into the fire. In due time, on breaking the cemented shell, 
(which is like a sugared almond,) the feathers, skin, etc, adhere 
to it, and then you have the pure kernel of poultry within.** 



120 DINTSTER. 

Snij^e. — The yellow-legged snipe is in tliis country considered 
the best species for the table. They should be larded and roasted 
in bunches of three, and served in gravy made from their own 
unctuous drijipings. There are few side-dishes more popular 
with epicures than snipe on toast. Some cooks stuff them with a 
composition of bread crumbs and Qg^^ highly seasoned ; but others 
think them far better without this kind of " trimmings." 

" The poet Moore was sure to have four or five invitations to 
dinner on the same day, and he often tormented himself with the 
idea that he had not j)erhaps accepted the most exclusive. He 
would get off from an engagement with a countess to dine with a 
marchioness, and from an engagement with a marchioness to 
accept the later invitation of a duchess ; and as he cared little 
for the society of men, and would sing and be delighted only for 
the applause of women, it mattered little whether one circle was 
more talented than another." 

Mules for Boiling Meat. — All fresh meat should be put on to 
cook in boiling water ; then the outer part contracts, and the in- 
ternal juices are prevented from running out in the water and 
thus wasted. This is the point to be attained in making soup — 
to have all the juices extracted ; but where the meat is to be 
eaten, it is desirable that all of its goodness be retained. If the 
meat were put over the fire in cold water, and then slowly came 
to the boil, the juices would be extracted, and it would remain 
dry and tasteless. 

On the contrary, all salt meat should be put into cold water, 
m order that, by its slow cooking, the salt may be extracted. 

To Boil a Calf's Head. — Put in the kettle of cold water, a piece 
of salt pork about six inches square. Set it over the fire, and 
when the water becomes hot put in the Jiead., heart, and lights. 



MEATS. 12j 

These should boil two hours. The pork will boil in one hour, and 
must then be taken out of the kettle. Look over the brains care- 
fully, take out all the veins, wash it well, and lay it in a cloth ; 
sprinkle salt, pepper, summer-savory, and a handful of bread crumbs 
over it ; tie it up tight in the cloth, and lay it in the pot when 
you take the pork out ; also put in the liver at this time, thus 
allowing one hour for these last to boil. 

When all is cooked, take the different parts out of the kettle 
carefully, to keep the pieces as whole as possible. Eemove the 
bones from the head ; these will come out easily. Skin the 
tongue, and place all together on the platter. 

For sauce, work together half a cup of butter and a large 
spoonful of flour ; dip a pint of the pot-liquor into a sauce-pan ; 
add the butter and flour to it, and, when this boils, open the 
cloth containing the brains, put them into a plate, cut them fine, 
and add them to the gravy. Stir it round gently, and serve. 

Receipt for Curing Beef. — To twenty-five lbs. of beef take two 
pints of salt, one pint of molasses, one table-spoon of saltpetre. 
Pour the pickle while hot over the beef ; there must be sufficient 
pickle to cover the whole. 

Boiled Corned Beef. — Put it over the fire in a kettle of cold 
water, let it boil slowly till tender ; when it pricks easily with a 
fork, it is cooked. Serve it with potatoes, turnips, etc. 

If you do not wish it to be eaten when warm, the following 
method of preparing it is an excellent one, and saves all the nu- 
tritious qualities of the beef. After the beef has boiled sufficiently 
tender to remove the bones easily, take it up, remove the bones, 
pack the meat by itself in a deep dish, mixing well together the 
fat and lean portions. Next skim the fat fi^^m the liquor and 
boil the latter down, so that when poured over the meat, it will 
just fill the spaces between the pieces. Then lay over the whole 



122 DINNER. 



a flat cover Avliicli will just fit into the dish ; put upon it a dozen 
pounds weight, or more, if necessary, and let it stand until cold. 
Prepared in this way, the poorest piece of tough corned beef will 
be made tender and juicy. The liquor thus saved contains the 
gelatine, the most nutritious portion of the meat, and when cold 
forms a solid mass with the meat, which may then be cut into 
slices for serving upon the table. 

Dr. JohnsoiCs Favorite Dishes. — " A leg of pork boiled till it 
dropped from the bone, a veal pie with plums and sugar, or the 
outside cut of a salt buttock of beef, were his favorite dainties." 

To Boil a Ham. — Put the ham into the kettle with cold water 
over a slow fire, that it may commence boiling in small blubbers ; 
keep the lid upon the pot, so as to retain heat. When at the 
boiling-point do not attempt to increase the fire by forcing it, for 
you can make the water no hotter, and a violent agitation sufli- 
cient to make the pot boil over will drive the juice out and make 
the ham hard and dry. Skim the pot often. For eveiij iiound 
the ham weighs, boil it so many fifteen minutes. When cooked, 
skin the whole, and fit it for the table ; then set it in an oven 
for half an hour ; take it out and cover it thickly with bread 
crumbs, and set it back for another half hour. 

Boiled ham is always much improved by setting it into an 
oven for nearly an hour, until much of the fat dries out ; it also 
makes it more tender. 

Haras are sometimes boiled in wine. 

7o Boil Salt Poi-l: — Scrape the rind and wash the whole clean. 
It must be put into cold water, heated gradually, and boiled slowly. 
A piece of two pounds' weight will cook in about an hour. Try 
it with a fork, and if this slips in easily, the pork is done. When 
you take it up, remove the rind neatly, pepper the pork in spots, 



MEATS. 123 

and place it in the oven while you prepare the other parts of your 
dinner. 

On a certain occasion when Charles II. was dining in state, he 
made Grammont remark that he was served upon the knee, a 
token of respect not common at other courts. " I thank your 
majesty for the explanation," answered Grammont ; " I thought 
they were begging pardon for giving you so bad a dinner." 

" Pork or swine's flesh was, till of late years, much abominated 
by the Scotch, nor is it yet a favorite food among them. King 
James carried this prejudice to England, and is known to have 
abhorred pork almost as much as he did tobacco. He said if he 
were to giv^e a banquet to the devil, he would provide a ' loin of 
pork and a poll of ling, with a pipe of tobacco for digestion. " — 
Scott. 

Pork was a favorite meat at the tables of the luxurious Greeks 
and Komans. It was* cooked in a variety of modes. A famous 
piece of skill on the part of their cooks was disjDlayed in cooking 
a whole pig, boiled on one side, roasted on the other, and stuffed 
with flavored and spiced thrushes, eggs, and various other delica- 
cies ; and all so ingeniously executed, that the guest could not per- 
ceive where the anim.al had been divided. The receipt for prepar- 
ing the pig, remained a long time secret, but was at length divulged. 
The animal, after being bled under the shoulder, was hung up, 
and the intestines drawn out through the throat. These were 
thoroughly washed, filled with hashed meat and gravy, and forced 
back into the body, which was stufled also with birds, etc. One 
half was then covered with a thick paste of barley meal mixed 
with wine and oil ; the pig was baked- on the other side, and, 
when that was done, this paste was removed, and the last half 
was boiled by laying it in a shallow sauce-pan. 



124 DINNER. 

To PacJc and Salt Porlc. — To keep well, pork should be as free 
from bone as possible. Take a clean, sweet barrel, sprinkle a 
thick layer of salt on the bottom ; pack then a layer of the pork, 
fitting- the pieces as closely as possible ; sprinkle around the edge 
3f the barrel a good supply of salt, and cover the whole layer 
plentifully with the same. Alternate thus the pork and salt, re- 
peating the process until the barrel is tilled. 

"When half full, pound the mass down to make it as solid as 
possible, and do this again when it is full. There is no danger 
of putting in too much salt. Lay a large flat stone on the top. 
Pour on cold water to cover it ; this will form a brine. Never 
let your pork swim, or it will become rusty. AVhen you begin to 
use it and cut into a piece, see that the remaining pieces be put 
under the stone, so that it shall always remain below the surface. 

"When the hog has free range of forest lands in wdiich it can 
feed on the acorns, the beach-nuts, and the sweet chestnuts, the 
flesh is proportionally valued ; and it is on this account, that the 
pork of Virginia has obtained a celebrity in America equal to that 
of Westphalia in Europe. 

Receipt for Curbig Hams. — Four quarts of salt, four oz. of salt- 
petre, four lbs. of brown sugar dissolved in water. Pack one hundred 
weight of hams closely together, and pour this pickle over them. 
Let them remain ten days, and then smoke. 

Xcw Jcrscji Jitile for Curing Hams. — After the hams are cut, let 
them lie on a shelf two or three days, where they can have plenty 
of cool air, so that all animal heat will pass out of them before 
you put them down. After this, drain oft' any bloody water which 
may come out. Make then the following pickle, sufficient to 
cover them : nine lbs. of salt, three oz. of saltpetre, one oz. sale- 
ratus, four lbs. of brown sugar or molasses, six gallons of water. 
Let them lie in the above pickle from three to six weeks, according 



MEATS. 125 

to the size of the hams ; then you may take them out and smoke 
them in dry weather, with good hickory or any other wood, except 
pine, till sufficiently smoked to suit your taste. Then take them 
down, put them in bags, to protect them from flies, and hang in 
a dry, cool place. 

An old writer tells us of a baron who held certain manors on 
the condition, " that he shall find, maintain, and sustain one bacon 
flitch hanging in his hall at all times of the year, but in Lent to 
be given to every man or woman married, after the day and year 
of the marriage, be past, in form following : — " After notice of the 
demand is given, all the free tenantry were to assemble 'to do 
and perform the services they owe to the bacon.' On the ap- 
pointed day after certain ceremonies done, the bacon was to be 
taken down, placed in a half quarter of wheat, and in a book 
placed on these, the demandant made oath that there had been no 
disagreement or strife, or dissatisfaction between him and his 
wife, during the year and day that they had been married; a 
cheese was to be added if he were a freeman, and the whole being 
placed on two horses, they were to leave the house accompanied 
by ' trumpets, taborets, and other manner of minstrelsy.' " 

To Cure Mutton. — If the brine in your pork or beef barrel be 
good and sweet, lay the leg of mutton in it for five or six days, 
when it will be sufficiently salted to boil with a small piece of 
salted pork for dinner. But if you have no good brine, lay the 
mutton into a stone jar, salt it thickly on both sides, and pour 
over it a weak brine of salt and water. Let it remain several 
days, or until you wish it to boil. Some persons hang it up after 
being thus cured, and dry it like beef. 

Boiled Lamh or Mutton. — A leg of mutton requires an hour 
for boiling ; a leg of lamb, half an hour. Put all fresh meat on 
to boil in hot water ; if the mutton has been corned, however, lay 



126 DINNER. 

it first in cold water, and gradually lieat it. A small piece of 
salted pork boiled with it improves it in either case ; mint sauce 
should accompany it ; that is,- melted butter prepared as in the 
fish-sauces with a few leaves of cho23ped mint added to it. 

Dr. Johnson's account of his last Dinner at Mrs. ThraMs after 
their quarrel, {translated from the Latin in luhich he icrote it.) — 
" I dined at Streatham on a leg of lamb boiled wdth spinach, a 
plum-pudding, beef tenderloin, and young turkey ; after tlie 
meats were dismissed, on figs and grapes not quite ripe, owing to 
the unfavorableness of the season, and on princely apples that 
were not very mellow. I sat down in sorrow, and fed sparingly, 
and committed no great sin from intemperance. If my memory 
should not fail me, the feasts celebrated at the funeral rites of 
Adonis will come to my mind whenever I revisit Streatham." 

To Cure Beeves^ Tongues. — Wash the tongues thoroughly to get 
off the blood, then rub them with salt, and lay them in a stone 
jar. For two tongues, make a brine of one quart of water, one 
pint of salt, one small cup of molasses, one teaspoon of saltpetre. 
Scald the brine, skim it, and Avliile hot pour it over the tongues. 
At the expiration of three days, pour off the brine, scald it again, 
and pour over the tongues as before. In two wrecks' time, they 
are ready to boil, or to hang in the smoke-house for a week, thence 
to be taken out and hung in a cool, dry place. 

To Boil Beeves'* Tongues. — A tongue that is dried or smoked, 
.requires to be soaked a few hours in cold water, previous to boil- 
ing. Put it over the fire in cold water, and boil slowly for two 
hours. If the water tastes so salt during the boiling that you 
think it necessary to pour it off", replenish with boiling water 
from the hot tea-kettle. When boiled, take the skin oft' as soon 
as possible, and if you can do so, keep it whole, that you m-ay 
have it to lay over the tongue afterward, to keep the latter moist. 



MEATS. 127 

To Pickle Sheep's Tongues. — Take one dozen sheep's tongues, 
boil them in salted water until tender ; then have a jar of spiced 
vinegar ready, and drop them into it while hot. 

Salt. — Salt was held in great estimation by the ancients ; set- 
ting salt before a stranger was a token of friendship ; to spill it 
was deemed ominous. A family salt-cellar was preserved with 
great care. 

The office oi grand pannetier at the king's table which formerly 
existed, is now extinct. His service was to bear the salt and the 
carving-knives, on state occasions, from the pantry to the king's 
table ; and his fees were the salt-cellars, spoons and knives, 
which lay upon the royal table. He also served the bread to the 
sovereigns, and received as his fee the bread cover, called the cover- 
pane. 

Account of a Christmas Pie, taken from the Newcastle Chronicle 
of the 6th January, 1770. — " Monday last was brought from 
Howick to Bewick, to be shipped for London, for Sir Henry 
Grey, Bart., a ^ne, the contents whereof are as follows, viz: 2 
bushels of flour, 20 lbs. of butter, 4 geese, 2 turkeys, 2 rabbits, 
4 wild ducks, 2 Avoodcocks, 6 snipes, and 4 partridges ; 2 neats' 
tongues, 2 curlews, 7 black-birds and six pigeons ; it is supposed 
a very great curiosity ; was made by Mrs. Dorothy Patterson, 
housekeeper at Howick. It was near nine feet in circumference 
at bottom ; weighs about twelve stone ; will take two men to 
present it to table ; it is neatly fitted with a case, and four small 
wheels, to facilitate its use to every guest that inclines to partake 
of its contents at table." 

Chicken Pie. — Line the sides of a baking-dish with a good 
crust. Have your chickens cooked as for a fricassee, seasoned 
with salt, pepper, and butter ; before they are cooked quite done, 



128 DINNER. 

lay them in the baking-dish, and pour on part of the gravy which 
you have thickened with a Httle flour. Cover it then with pufF 
paste ; in the centre of this cover cut a small hole the size of a 
dollar, and spread a piece of dough twice its size over it. When 
baked remove this piece and examine the interior ; if it is getting 
dry, j)our in more of the remaining gravy ; cover it again and 
serve. It should be baked in a quick oven. 

Pigeon and Veal Pies are made after the above receipt for 
chicken pie. 

The Effect ofj^ies upon Courtiers. — Sir Eobert Sidney was gov- 
ernor of Flushing in the Hague. Becoming tired of this difficult 
and onerous post, vexed and fettered as he was for want of means 
to sustain the honor of his country, he became home-sick, and ear- 
nestly solicited leave of absence for a few weeks, to visit his wife 
and children. Queen Elizabeth considered him a more efficient 
person than any one she could put in his place, and so refused to 
accede to his wishes. Great interest was made by Lady Sidney 
with the ladies of the bed-chamber and the ministers, to second 
her request. Among the presents she made to propitiate the 
ministers, were hoar-pies. They were esteemed very choice dain- 
ties, and were sent from the Hague by poor Sir Eobert for that 
purpose. It is noted, that after my Lord of Essex and my Lord 
Treasurer have their boar-pies. Lady Sidney reserved none for 
herself, but bestowed her two on Sir Eobert Cecil, in the hope 
that he would second her suit for her lord's return ; nor was she 
disappointed ; the boar-pies proved super-excellent, and »o com- 
pletely propitiated Mr. Secretary, that the next time the petition 
of Sir Eobert Sidney was presented to her Majesty by her la- 
dies, he knelt down, and besought her Majesty to hear him in be- 
half of the home-sick ambassador ; and after representing the 
many causes which rendered him so desirous of revisiting his na- 
tive land, entreated her only to license his return for six weeks. 



MEATS. 129 

But the Queen was obdurate. Whether the boar-pies failed to 
reach her Majesty, or she was not to be moved by such things, is 
not known. 

Birch in a Pye. — "A usual dish at Queen Elizabeth's table was 
a large pye, from which, when opened, flew a covey of birds. 
Thus literally and historically true are the nursery rhymes : 

* Four and twenty blackbirds 
Baked in a pye ; 
"When the pye was opened 
The birds began to sing, 
And was not this a dainty dish 
To set before a king ? ' 

A Dwarf in a Pye. — " But if we think the above strange, what 
shall we say to baking, or at least encrusting a dwarf in a pie — 
a real live man ! This was done at an entertainment given by 
the Duke of Buckingham to Charles and Henrietta, soon after 
their marriage. The dwarf, Geoffrey Hudson, was then eighteen 
inches high, and as soon as the pie was carved, he was released 
from his strange durance, presented to the Queen, and remained 
afterward in her household." — Mrs. Stone. 

A Rare Pie. — We are told of an entertainment of the Earl 
of Carlisle's, where one person ate to his own share a pie which 
cost ten 'pounds. We do not know of what the pie was chiefly 
formed, but amongst other ingredients were ambergris, musk, 
and magisterial of pearl. 

In the '* Accomplished Cook," published in the sixteenth cen- 
tury, we find the receipt for an artificial hen made of puff paste., 
with her wings displayed, sitting upon eggs of the same materials, 
in each of which was enclosed a fat nightingale, seasoned with 
pepper and ambergris. 
9 



130 DINNER. 

Fricasseed Chickens. — Cut them up, and lay the j)ieces in a 
kettle with sufficient water to cover them. A slice of salt pork 
cut into bits and cooked with the chicken, seasons it well. After 
boiling a few minutes, skim the surface, and sprinkle in pepper. 
When the chickens are boiled tender, take the pieces up, and let 
the water boil down if there seems too much for gravy. Work a 
little flour and butter together, and stir it into the gravy. Where 
the chickens are fat, they require little or no butter; but generally 
a little is necessary : in this, as in all cooking, the cook must ex- 
ercise her own judgment. Lay the chickens back in the gravy a 
few moments, and then serve all together. 

Potted Pigeons. — Make a stuffing of bread and butter, seasoned 
with salt, pepper, and summer-savory, worked together with an 
Qgg, When the birds are ready for cooking, put a ball of stuf- 
fing in each ; sprinkle salt, pepper, and flour over them, and place 
them in a pot with the neck down, covering them with water. 
Cover the pot, and let them cook slowly. Watch them, and turn 
them, if necessary. If they prove tough, they may require more 
water ; if tender, you may have to take them up before the water 
is boiled down to make the gravy. Put butter and flour to the 
gravy, and lay the pigeons into it again, that they may brown a 
little ; when this is done, serve hot. 

Un Roti sans Pareil. — The following receipt for an extraordi- 
nary dish, is from the pen of a celebrated gastronomer, De la 
Eeyniere ; we give it for the amusement, if not advantage, of our 
lady readers ; they can judge for themselves of its practicability 
" Stuff a fine large olive with capers and jolets d'anchois ; then 
place the olive inside the body of a fig-picker, from which you 
cut the head and feet ; then inclose the fig-picker in the body 
of a plump ortolan, neatly dressed ; then insert the ortolan in the 
body of a fat lark, from which you dissect the principal bones ; 



MEATS. 13] ■ 

then cover the lark with a thin slice of lard, and put it into the 
body of a thrush ; which, having in like manner dissected, you 
stuff inside a fat and juicy pail, (a wild one preferred,) which you 
should cover with a vine-leaf, and insert in the body of a lap- 
wing ; which is boned, and trussed, and inserted in the body of a 
golden plover ; which, in its turn, is covered with lard and inserted 
in a young woodcock ; having rolled this in grated bread-crumbs, 
place it in the body of a neatly prepared teal ; which put into the 
body of a guinea-hen ; which secrete in the body of a young wild 
duck ; which encage in the body of a chicken ; which conceal in- 
side of a young and carefully selected pheasant ; which entomb 
in the body of a young and fat goose, (wild, of course ;) which in- 
sert in the body of a very fine hen turkey; which finally enclose 
in the body of an outarde, (a species of wild turkey,) or a young 
swan, and fill the interstices with Lucca chestnuts, forced meat, 
and a savory stufling. Having thus prepared the roast, put it 
into a ]">ot sufficiently large, with onions, cloves, carrots, chopped 
ham, celery, a bouquet of parsley and thyme, mignonette, sev- 
eral slices of salt pork well salted, pepper, salt, fine spices, corian- 
der seeds, and one or two sprigs of garlic. Seal this pot hermeti- 
cally with a strip of paste or clay, place it on a slow fire where 
the heat will penetrate it gradually, and let it remain twenty-four 
hours. Then uncover it, skim it if necessary, and serve on a 
hot dish." 

Carving. — Carving was anciently taught as an art, and it was 
performed to the sound of music. In later times, we read in the 
life of Lady M. W. Montague, that her father, the Duke of King- 
ston, " having no wife to do the honors of his table at Thoresby, 
imposed that task upon his eldest daughter, as soon as she had 
bodily strength for the office, which, in those days, required no 
small share ; for the mistress of a country mansion was not only 
to invite — that is, to urge and teaze her company to eat more 



132 DINNER. 



than human throats could conveniently swallow, — ^but to carve 
every dish, when chosen, with her own hands. The greater the 
lady, the more indispensable the duty. Each joint was carried 
up in its turn to be operated on by her, and her alone ; since the 
peers and knights on either hand were so far from being bound 
to offer their assistance, that the very master of the house, posted 
opposite to her, might not act as her croupier ; his department 
was to push the bottle after dinner. As for the crowd of guests, 
— the most inconsiderable among them — if suffered through her 
neglect, to help himself to a slice of the mutton placed before him, 
would have chewed it in bitterness, and gone home an affronted 
man. There were at this time professed carving masters, who 
taught young ladies the art scientifically, from one of whom 
Lady Mary took lessons three times a week, that she might be 
perfect on her father's public days, — when, in order to perform her 
functions without interruption, she was forced to eat her own din- 
ner alone, an hour or two beforehand." 



VEGETABLES. 



Vegetables have been more improved in their qualities and 
appearance by careful cultivation, than many persons are aware. 
Celery, so agreeable to most palates, is a modification of a plant, 
the taste of which is so acrid and bitter, that it cannot be eaten. 
Our cauliflowers and cabbages, which weigh many pounds, are 
largely developed coleworts that grow wild on the sea-shore, and 
do not weigh more than half an ounce each. Beets and carrots 
were originally little more than hard stringy roots ; and the potato 
was at first no larger than a walnut. Turnips and carrots are 
thought to be indigenous roots of France ; cauliflowers came from Cy- 
prus ; artichokes from Sicily ; lettuce from Cos ; peas from Syria ; 



VEGETABLES. 133 



beans from Persia ; spinach from Western Asia ; radishes from 
China ; onions from the East ; and rhubarb from Tartary. 

We shall first speak of the potato. The " Irish potato " is in- 
digenous to Chili. It was first noticed there by the Europeans, 
in 1588. It was brought from Virginia to Ireland, by Sir Walter 
Kaleigh, in 1586 ; and being there cultivated, and its valuable 
nutritious qualities appreciated, it was from thence taken to Eng- 
land, where it has always borne the name of Irish potato. 

How to boil the Irish Potato. — Choose your potatoes of the 
same size, and if very large, cut them into halves or quarters. 
They should be put into the pot with a good handful of coarse 
salt, and the water, (which should be cold,) must not quite cover 
them, nor should the lid be closed. When half done, remove 
those at the bottom to the top. When the whole appear com- 
pletely cooked, try them with a fork, and if soft, the water 
should be instantly poured off", and the potatoes left in the pot by 
the side of the fire. Some kinds are better boiled with the skins 
on, and others peeled ; experience alone will teach the difference. 
If you wish to brown them after peeling, dip each in a beaten Qgg 
and brown in the oven. 

Mashed Potatoes. — After carefully peeling the potatoes, and 
taking out the eyes or specks, mash them in a warm saucepan, 
adding milk, butter, and salt, until nicely seasoned. To make 
the mixture light, take two forks in one hand, with the points of 
the prongs turned outwards, and beat the potato until it becomes 
quite light. Keep it near the fire in your saucepan, until dinner 
is ready to be served ; otherwise it will make its appearance cold, 
and hard as paste. 

To obviate this last difficulty, some persons, after nicely pre- 
paring the potato, turn it out into an earthen dish, smooth it, and 
spread over the top the beaten white of an egg. Brown it in a 
hot oven, or before a fire. 



134 DTNXEK. 

" Potatoes u'ith the hone in." — V^e have all ■wondered why oiii 
Irisli servants persist in bringing half-boiled potatoes to the table, 
notwithstanding our repeated orders to the contrary. Dr. James 
Johnson, in his tour in Ireland, discovered that it was almost a 
universal custom among the poor of that country, to only half boil 
their potatoes, leaving the centre so hard, that it is called the 
bone of the potato. 

'• There is scarcely a more indigestible substance taken into 
the human stomach, than a half-boiled potato ; and, to a dyspep- 
tic, it would be little less than poison. It is this very quality of 
intligestibility, that recommends the jmrboiled potato to the poor 
Irishman. The laboring classes have rarely more than two meals, 
in the twenty-four hours ; and if their potatoes were well boiled, the 
pangs of hunger would be insutferable, during a considerable portion 
of the day and night. Custom, fortunately, is a second nature ; 
and custom has so reconciled the poor Irishman's stomach to this 
food, that even the children complain if they find no ' bone in the 
potato.' " 

Tauii^ or Sweet Fotatoes. — These potatoes generally require to 
be boiled an hour ; if verv larsre, boil them still lono-er. Thev 
are much improved by lying in the oven live or ten minutes after 
they are boiled, previous to serving them. 

The sweet potato is a native of India ; from thence brought 
to Spain, and from Spain to England, and other parts of the 
globe. In Gerard's time, 1597, Virginia potatoes, as they were 
then called, were just beginning to be known. A sweet potato 
had been previously known, which was used as a kind of confec- 
tion at the tables of the ricli. Of these, Gerard says : - They are 
used to be eaten rosted in the ashes; some, when they be so 
rosted, infuse them, and sop them in wine ; and others, to give 
them the greater grace in eating, do boil them with prunes, and 



VEGETABLES. ' 135 



SO eat them. And likewise others dresse them (being first 
rested) with oile, vinegar, and salt, every man according to his 
own taste and liking ; notwithstanding howsoever they be dressed, 
they comfort, nourish, and strengthen the bodie." These were 
sold by women, who stood about the Exchange with baskets. 
The same writer says of the common potato, w]iich, for a consid- 
erable time after its introduction, was a rarity, that " it was like- 
wise a foode, as also a meete for pleasure, being either rosted in 
the embers, or boiled and eaten with oile and vinegar, or dressed 
anie other way by the hand of some cunning in cookerie." 

Indian Corn. — Corn for boiling should be fully grown, but 
young and tender, and the grains soft and milky ; when hard 
and yellow they are too old. 

Strip the husks and silk off the ears ; leaving, however, the 
last husk on the ear, as it adds to the sweetness, and keeps it 
hot. Boil fast for half an hour or more, until tender, then send 
it hot to the table. 

Dried Corn for Winter. — Shave off the corn, dry it in an oven, 
put it in a paper bag, and hang it up in a dry place. When you 
wish to use it, soak it twelve hours. Put it over the fire in the 
same water, and boil about twenty minutes ; when soft, add 
butter and salt. 

To make Succotash in Winter. — Take small white beans, soak 
them twelve hours, and then put them over to boil. When half 
done, add the corn, and let them boil until soft, when add butter, 
salt, and pepper. 

Green Corn Cakes. — Mix one pint of grated corn with three 
table-spoons of milk, one tea-cup of flour, half a cup of melted 
butter, one Qgg, one teaspoon of salt, and half a teaspoon of pepper ; 
drop this mixture into hot butter by the spoonful, and fry the 



136 DINNER. 

cakes eight or ten minutes. These cakes are nice to be served 
with meats at dinner. 

Corn Oysters. — Take two dozen ears of large, young, and soft 
corn, grate it from th.e cob as fine as possible, and dredge it with 
wheat flour. ]3eat four eggs very light, and mix them gradually 
with the corn ; stir the whole with your hand, adding a salt- 
spoon of salt ; melt equal portions of lard and butter in a frying- 
pan ; stir it so that they may well mix together, and when it is 
boiling hot, put in the mixture, in the form of oval cakes about 
three inches long, and one incTi thick. Fry brown, and send to 
the table hot. They strongly resemble fried oysters, and when 
well done are always liked as a side dish at dinner. 

Green Corn Dumjolings. — One quart of young corn grated from 
the cob, half a pint of wheat flour sifted, half a pint of milk, two eggs, 
six table-spoons of butter, salt and pepper. Grate the corn, mix 
it with the flour, adding salt and pepper. Warm the milk in a 
sauce-pan, and melt the butter in it. Pour this gradually to the 
corn mixture, stirring it hard. Then set the whole away to cool. 
Beat the eggs light, and stir them into the mixture when it is 
sufliciently cooled. Flour your hands, and make it into small 
dumplings. Drop them into boiling hot butter, and fry ten min- 
utes ; then drain and serve hot. 

Parched corn w^as in constant use among the American In- 
dians, and chiefly relied upon by them in their journeys and 
hunting expeditions. 

A Khan of Tartary, who subsisted on rapine, and fed on 
nothing but horseflesh and mares' milk, caused a herald to pro- 
claim, every day after his repast, " that the Khan having dined, 
all other princes, potentates, and great men of the earth might 
go to dinner ! " 



VEGETABLES. 137 



Turnips. — Turnips are less likely to be bitter, if tbey are cut 
into several pieces, and boiled in plenty of salted water. When 
they are nearly done, take off the cover of the kettle, that the 
vegetable may dry a little. Turnips require from half to three- 
quarters of an hour to boil, according to their age. If they are 
very watery when preparing them for the table, drain off all the 
water, and mash a small, mealy potato with them. Butter, salt, 
and pepper them. Peel them before boiling. 

Squashes. — Summer squashes should be boiled whole, or cut 
in halves, and mashed without peeling, as the skin is generally 
the sweetest part. Where there is a thick, tough skin, it should 
of course be removed. Winter squashes are peeled after boiling. 
Mash them, and season with care. 

Never use strong or rancid butter in seasoning vegetables. 

Boiled Onions. — Boil them first in water, and when nearly 
cooked, pour off the water, and add milk ; which boil them in till 
done- Then take them up, butter, salt, and pepper them well, 
and serve. 

In Egypt, and other parts of the East, garlic or onions enter 
into the composition of almost every dish. In ancient times, 
onions were forbidden to the priests of Egypt, but they appear to 
have been eaten by the generality of the people ; the Hebrews 
complaining, in their wanderings, that they remembered the 
leeks, and onions and garlic, as well as the cucumbers and melons 
of Egypt. This vegetable is said to have originated in Africa, 
but was eaten by the Greeks ; though one of their poets tells them, 

" You must have cJieese, and lioney, and sesame, 
Oil, leeks, and vinegar, and assafoetida 
to dress it up with, for by itself the onion is bitter and unpleasant to the taste." 

The Spaniards scarcely prepare a dish without onions or gar- 



lie, and, iiidtxHi, ujxm the continent generallv, it is iudisjxM\sable 
The French iHX^ks use it in a thousi\nd >vays, vwiiooaling" it 
adrvntly, in their great and little sauces. 

Sancho Tanza Sius, •• To toll wni the truth, what I eat in my 
ivrner without iviu^>liuients or cereiuonies, though it were nothing 
but bread and an onion, relishes better than turkey at othei 
folks* tables, when> I am forced to chew leisurely, drink little, 
wi|>e my mouth otton. and can neither sneeze nor cough when I 
have a mind." 

ArttchtJiYS. — The jx^niou eaten is the under side ot* the head 
Wfore the tlower ojhuis. The whole head is removed and Ixnled, 
the leaves laid a;side, and the Wttom eaten with a sauce of but- 
ter and spices, or jH^pjvr and Si\li. In Italy, artichokes i\n» eaten 
nuv with oil, jx^pjxT, and salt. In England, they are alwa\'sr 
Ixnled. The French and Germans Knl the stalks, and eat them 
with butter and viuciri^r. The French also ii-ather the heads, 
NN hen not larger refund than a dollar, and eat the lower end of the 
leaves raw, dippmg them in oil, j>epj^r, and vinegar. Svmie jxir- 
sons treat them in every way like turnij^s. 

*l**jtHTni57Mxv\ — Wash the asj^aragus, tie the stalks of the same 
siie tv^gether, and put them on to boil in hot water, in which a 
little salt has Kvn sprinkleil. They will cook in aKnit fifteen 
minutes; when soft, take them up carefully into the dish in 
which they will Iv served ; cut the strings, and draw them out so 
as not to break the asjxAragus. Butter, salt, and jvpjxT it well. 
This has Wen esteemed a delicate culinary herb fn>m the earliest 
timej. 

M. Hue, in his travels into Tartary, made use of many 
substitutes for favorite vegetables. The \-oung ferns, before the 
leaves have unfoldeil, he Knlevl and useA.1 in the place of asj^aragus. 



VEG ETABLES. 139 



He Bays, they were very nice. Like the French generally, he 
knew how to turn every thing to the best possible advantage in 
cooking ; and if unable to get the best articles, to make some- 
thing else serve as a substitute. 

The Cahha/je, — " We can call up the shades of the Greeks and 
Romans to prove that the cabbage has merited the suffrages of the 
first people of the earth. Cato, for example, the severe Cato, an 
enemy to all physicians, treated every sickness in his household 
with cabbage, without distinction of disease, and wonderful to re- 
late, his people never found themselves the worse f(jr it. Moderns 
have not loved cabbage less than the ancients. The Germans 
have such a passion for it, that it is connected in some way with 
the majority of their dishes." Cabbages, cauliflowers, and kohl- 
rabis, spring from a species of Brassica, Avhicb, in its natural state, 
has woody stems and leaves, and useless roots. Cultivation has 
changed their nature, and rendered them valuable for food. 
About 1640, Sir Anthony Ashley first planted cabbages in Eng- 
land ; before that period, the English obtained them from Hol- 
land. Upon Sir Anthony's monument, a cahhage is represented 
lying at hLs feet. The American cabbage palm-tree often reaches 
to the height of one hundred and fifty feet ; it is crowned at the 
top with leaves, which grow so closely, as to form in the centre a 
white heart of two or three inches in diameter. Trees are often 
cut down to obtain tJds single co.hhage ; it is eaten raw, fried, or 
boiled. 

Caulijlower. — This delicate vegetable should be wrapped in a 
cloth when boiled. Some persons first parboil it, then put it into 
cold water until near the time to be served, then boil it a few 
minutes ; which makes it firmer than when cooked in the usual 
manner. Serve it with melted butter. 

Broccoli is cooked like the cauliflower. The cauliflower plants 



1 40 DINNKR, 

, I 

should 1h> takou fivni tho iiixniud at the lirj^t fi\>st, and placed in 
tlu> cellar, \vhen> tlu\v will tlowor durini;- tho winter. ) 

JCafe. — The (verniaus vwk kale in ihe tolUnviui;- manner: — | 
Out out the rilv^ or stitV stalks of the leaves. Tut the leaves on j 
to Knl in salt and water ; w hen nearly eivked, jHMn' otV the water, 1 
and cover with tix^sh water. AVhen sott, take them np into a 
siUiee-iKvn in which is a little huttcr and hivwncd tWr: stir it 
vpiickly, and serve without vinei^ar. 

Jii^iM (\iA^i«/e*. — Cut tho cahh\gv* into quarters, and examine 
earx^fully that theiv he no worn\s concealed in it. If Knhnl w ith 
n\eat, it will Kvome tender, sooner than when KnUnl in clear 
water; with the former, twenty minutes will sutHce; hut from 
half to thuv quarters of an hour ar<.> mvesjjary to c^x^k it by it- 
self. In the latter cai?e, thrvnv a little s^dt into the water. AVhen 
you serve, take it up in a vciivtahle dish, drain t>tl' all tlu> w ater ; 
cut the cal>lv\iiv acrv^ss several times with a knife, jvpper it, and 
if WiUnl without n\eat, butter the top a little, and jKHir vinegar 
v>vcr the whole. 

JCi\hI-t\iht\< — Kohl-rabis art* cvvkt\l in tl\e same manner as 
oablvigv, ami drx^sstnl with vinegar. 

The term vinegar comes frvnu *» T7/» (tA/'y,** (sour wine,") which 
indicates the sourv\^ frvMu which it was. tirst pivdncinl. 

i\^d Cohhit^, — Kemove frxnn the cablv^gv the old dev\Hyeil w 
witherx.\l leaves : then cut it in qujvrters, and examine the ins^ide 
carefully, lest a worm or insev't lurk within its leaves ; pull it 
a^vart in orvler tv^ detei^t them. Cut down your ciiblvig^ with a 
slivVp knife, or chop it tine in a wvxHlen Knvl ; turn it into a dislt, 
jvur gxxxl vinegar over it, auvl soasv^u with mustarvl, salt, «uid 

IX'pjXT. 



YEdKlAlfLVJi. 141 



ParHuipH. — Thi« vegetable is wM tf> \>(t improved by }>oilirig in 
rnol/iHHeH and water, thus ehanging the Hweet, Hieki«}i taste. 
IJutter th'trfi liot. I'arHnipH are good fried after liaving been 
boiled. 

J)an.(kHom for (JreenH. — Dig up the whole plant, rrxjt and all, 
before it bloHHoniH. After washing, jx>ur Veiling water over it, 
and let it stand some time to take out the Htrong bitter taste ; 
throw this water away, and }x>il tlie greens fifteen minutes; 
throw in salted water. i5e careful U) drain off all the watar, and 
serve with vinegar and butter. 

Spinach. — This is a delicate and ffAVorite vegetable for greens. 
I'oil in salted water; when done, thoroughly drain off the water, 
and prepare it for the table by putting on butter. Vinegar is 
usually eaten on it. 

A French pliysician has called Kpin;i/;h the " brrx^m of the 
stoma/;h;" "le balai de I'estoniac," for it cleanses and purifies 
that organ. 

To Jjfnl Pe/jtH. — Peas, when young and tender, rerpjire only 
fifteen minutes' boiling. If older, a very small bit- of saleratus 
thrown into the water while boiling, softens thcrn sooner than 
they would otherwise. When served, butter them well, and sea- 
s^jn with salt and pepper Xjo your taste. 

Sf/iinfjed Jko,nH. — These beans re^pjire more or less Ix^iling, af> 

cording to their age; if young, fifteen or twenty minutes will j 

suffice, but when full grown, half an hour at least is necessary, i 

Season well with butter, salt and pepper. ! 

Grena LirrM Jknm for Winter JJce. — " You can have LIrna beans t i 



142 DINNER. 



in midwinter, for your dinner, as green and plump as in summer, 
bv takinsr a little trouble. Gather them a little voun^er than for 
cooking immediately ; then spread them upon the floor of some 
dry, airy room ; turn them over once or twice vvhile drying ; soak 
them twelve hours before cooking ; they will be as nice as when 
fresh." — Downing. 

Fried Cucumbers. — Take the cucumber just as it begins to 
turn yellow, peel and slice it in salt and water, drop it into 
hot water, and boil until tender. Season it wdth pepper and salt, 
and fry it in butter. You can scarcely tell it from the egg- 
plant. 

Fried Oyster Plant, or Scdsify. — Scrape the roots as you would 
parsnips ; boil them tender ; then mash them, and add an e^g 
and some rolled soda cracker. Make into cakes, and fry in 
butter. Serve while hot. 

Another mode is, to boil until tender a pint or more of salsify ; 
mash fine ; then add pepper, salt, butter, a few spoonsful of cream 
or milk, a little flour, and two beaten eggs. Make into small 
cakes, dip them in flour or egg batter, and fry them brown. 

A third way is to boil them soft, take out the largest, cut them 
in circles, and dip them in a batter, (made of Qgg, thickened with 
flour, or rolled cracker,) and fry them in hot butter ; when brown, 
season properly, and serve. 

The water in which the salsify has been boiled, may be seasoned 
with butter, pepper, and salt, and poured over toasted bread. 

Salsifn Toast. — Boil the salsify in milk until the slices are 
tender, adding pepper, salt, and butter. When ready to serve, 
stir in two or three well-beaten eggs, taking care not to let it 
boil afterward. Pour it over slices of toasted bread. 

To keep Celery through the Winter. — Take up the plants, cut 



VEGETABLES. 143 



off a portion of the leaves, and pack the plants in a box or barrel, 
with the roots down. After putting as many side by side as 
there is room for, sift in dry sand enough to cover them, and put 
in another layer of the plants, sanding as before, and so on until 
the box is full. Keep it in a cool cellar or room, where little 
frost can reach them. 

Another way to pack them, is to set the plants closely to- 
gether on the bottom of the cellar, and cover with sand nearly to 
the top of them. 

The blanched leaf-stalks of celery are much eaten with us ; in 
foreign countries, the unhlanched leaves are used for soups. The 
root of a certain variety, called celeriac, is cut into slices and put 
in soups, to which it imparts an excellent flavor. The Germans 
boil these roots for salad, and, when cold, dress it with oil and 
vinegar. They scrape the roots before boiling, and put them 
over the fire in cold water. 

Tomato Sauce. — Peel and slice the tomatoes in an earthen or tin 
dish. While cooking, watch and stir them frequently, adding 
salt, pepper, and, at the last, a little butter. If they are very 
juicy, stew them well, as the flavor is improved by a good deal 
of cooking. Serve cold. 

Tomato Toast. — Prepare the tomatoes as for sauce, and while 
they are cooking, toast two slices of bread very brown, but not 
burned, butter them on both sides, and pour the tomato sauce over 
them. 

Tomato for Winter Use. — " Every housekeeper fond of fresh 
tomato sauce, can have it through the winter by drying tomatoes, 
during the season, on every baking-day, after the following rule ; 
choose tomatoes of small or moderate size ; gather them when 
quite ripe, but before they get to be watery ; scald them in boil- 



I' 



144 DINNER. 

inu' >Yator; pool, thou squeeze tlieui a little. 8pread tlieui ou 
l^lates, au(l ilry them iu a briek ineu from uhieh the bread has 
boeu takeu. Leave the dishes iu all uiiiht. Put them away iu 
ba^s iu a dry plaee. "Wheu you wish to ecx>k nuy of this touuito, 
soak it a tew hours iu warui water, tlieu stew, as you would the 
jVesh tomato.** — PowNiNr.. 

/■'<f<j-JVatif. — Cut it iuto sliees a quarter ot'au iueli thiek, and 
let theui soak two hours iu eold salt and water. Tlieu fry tlieui 
iu butter, lettiuo- tliem brown thorouiihlv. 

Onrn Jfehms j!>/vyxr;Y(? «.^ K(jg'Pfauf. — Green melons that 
come on too late in the season to ripen, are exeellent, wheu eut 
iuto sliees a quarter oi^ an iueh thiek, and fried like egg-plants, 
in butter. 

.UtL<hnkmi^.—lt is important for persons who employ mush- 
rooms as food to be able to distinguish the w^holesome from the 
poisonous. The following general rules are given by M. Iviehard, 
in the Ih'ctionnahr ihs Jh'otfttes : Those should be rejeeted whieh 
have a nareotie or fetid odor, or an acrid, bitter, or very aeid 
taste ; whieh oeeasion a seUv<e of eonstrietion iu the throat when 
swallowed ; whieh are very soft, liquefying", ehangiug eolor, and 
assumiug a bluish tint upon being bruised : whieh exude a milky, 
aerid, and styptic juiee : whieh grow iu very moist places, and 
upon putrefying substances : iu tine, all such as have a coriaceous, 
ligneous, or corky consistence. The last are injurious in conse- 
queuce rather of their indigestible, than of their poisonous nature. 
Even nmshrooms which are usually edible, may prove poisonous, 
if collected too late, or iu places which are too moist." In general, 
those should be suspected which grow iu caverns or subterranean 
passages, or ou animal matter undergoing putrefaction, as well as 
those whose tlesh is soft and waterv. The safe kinds have most 



SALADS. 145 

frrjfiuontly a compact brittle substance ; the flesh is white ; they 
'^row more readily In open places, Hiich as dry pantiircH and 
waste lands, rather than in humid spots, or those shaded by wood. 

7'o coo/c Mus/iroo'/ns. — Bi(;il tlicjin Jilcely over a hot lire, pepper, 
sail, and butter them; serve them \vith toast; or, fry them 
([uickly In a sauce-pan with melted butter. 

A truffle is a kind of mushroom, sometimes served as a salad ; 
it Is very ^ood, and very costly. 

Afamroni. — Soak and boil the macaroni in milk and water, 
when soft put it in a baking-dish, add one v,<f<^, and bake it till 
bi'owned. (Sometimes it is served without baking, but does not 
make as nice looking a dish. The grated cheese, which is usually 
added to it })y professed cooks, can Ijc used or not, to suit the 
taste ; but it renders it less digestible. Macaroni is very light 
and nutritious, and well worthy the attention of \egetarians. 

Rice. — For a side-dish with roast moats, put a cup of rice 
into cold water, with a spoonful of salt; keep it covered while 
boiling, that the grains may swell, and do not stir it much after 
it is cooked, as it looks better where the grains are whole. Add 
a cup of milk and a lump of butter just before serving. 



SALADS. 

Ax AxciKNT Roman I'kasant's Salad. 

WiTir hasty stops liis garden-ground he sought; 
There delving witli liis hands, he first displaced 
Four plants of garlic, large, and rooted fast; 
The tender U^ps of parsley next he culls, 
Then the old rue-hush shudders as he pulls, 
And coriander last to these succeeds, 
That hangs on slightest threads her trembling seeds. 
10 



146 DINNER. 

IMaced near his sprightly fire he now demands 
The mortar at his sable servant's hand ; 
When stripping- all his garlic lirst, he tore 
Th' exterior coats, and east them on the lloor, 
Then cast away with like contempt the skin, 
Flimsier concealment of the cloves within. 
These search'd, and perfect fonnd, he, one by one, 
Rins'd, and disposed within the hollow stone. 
Salt added, and a Inmp of salted cheese. 
With his injected herbs he cover'd these, 
And tneking with his left his tnnic tight. 
And seizing fast the pestle with his right. 
The garlic brnising lirst he soon expressed. 
And mix'd the varions juices of the rest. 
He grinds, and by degrees his herbs below, 
Lost in each other, their own pow'rs forego. 
And with the cheese in compound, to the sight 
Nor wholly green appear, nor wholly white. 
The work proceeds; not roughly turns he now 
The pestle, but in circles smooth and slow, 
"With cautious hand that grudges what it spills, 
Some drops of olive-oil he next instils. 
Then vinegar with caution scarcely less. 
And gathering to a ball the medley mess. 
Last, with two lingers frugally applied. 
Sweeps the small remnant from the mortar's side, 
And thns complete in figure and in kind. 
Obtains at length the salad he designed." 

CowPEu's tmnslation of VirgU 

Sydney Smith's Receipt fou Duessixg Salad. 

To make this condiment, your poet begs 

The pounded yellow of two hard-boil'd eggs ; 

Two boil'd potatoes, pass'd through kitchen sieve, 

Smoothness and softness to the salad give. 

Let onion atoms lurk within the bowl, 

And, half suspected, animate the whole. 

Of mordant mustard add a single spoon. 

Distrust the condiment that bites so soon ; 

But deem it not, thou man of herbs, a fault. 

To add a double v]uantity of salt. 

And, lastly, o'er the flavor'd compound toss 

A magic soupcon of anchovy sauce. • 



SALADS. 147 

Oh, green and glorious ! Oh, herbaceous treat ! 
'Twould tempt the dying anchorite to eat ; 
liack to the woild he'd turn iiis fleeting soul, 
And plunge hi.s fingerg in the salad bowl ! 
Serenely full, the epicure would say. 
Fate cannot harm rnCj I have dined to-day. 

The English word mustard, is said to liave originated in the 
French phrase "Moult me tarde," (I wish ardently,) which was 
the motto of the Duke of liurgundy. lie obtained one thousand 
men from Dijon, in return for which assistance he permitted that 
town to bear his armorial ensigns with this motto. The device 
was affixed over the principal gate ; in time the middle word be- 
came erased, and the other two were printed on the labels which 
the merchants pasted on pots with this commodity, and sent all 
uver the world. 

Spanish mode of dressing Salad. — It is a .Spanish proverb that 
four persons are necessary to the proper preparation of a salad : 
— a spendthrift for oil, a raiser for vinegar, a counsellor for 
salt, and a madman to stir it all up. Take lettuce, or whatever 
salad is to be got ; do not cut it with a steel knife, but tear the 
leaves from the stem, which throw away ; wash the mass in many 
waters, and rinse it in napkins till dry ; prepare in a small bowl, 
equal quantities of vinegar and water, a tea-spoonful of pepper and 
salt, and four times as much oil as vinegar and water ; mix the 
same well together ; prepare in a plate whatever fine herbs can 
be got, especially tarragon and chervil, which must be chopped 
small. Since salad is often spoiled from making it long before it 
is to be eaten, destroying the crisp freshness of the plants, do 
not mix the sauce with the herbs, etc., until the instant that you 
are ready to transfer the result to your plate. — Then pour the 
sauce over the salad, powder it with these herbs, and lose no time 
In eating. — Ford's Spaniards and their Connlry, 



148 DiiSTsrER. 



Dressed Lettuce. — Wash the lettuce, and examine the leaves 
that there be no insects left upon them ; but be careful not to 
break or " wilt " the leaves. Your lettuce will present a more 
attractive appearance if you serve it without dressing. Let each 
person then dress it to suit his own taste ; or the hostess may- 
prepare for the whole company. The dish of lettuce and the 
cruet being placed near, first turn out the yelk of a hard-boiled 
egg into a cup, add a tea-spoonful of mustard, one table-spoon of 
salad oil and salt. Mix them well, and half fill the cup with 
vinegar, and pour it over the lettuce, which you have previously 
well cut up. 

Another rule for dressing Lettuce. — Take two large lettuces, 
remove the faded leaves, and the coarse green ones ; then pull 
each leaf oif separately, cut it lengthwise, and then in four or six 
pieces ; proceed thus until finished. Having cut it all up, put it 
into a bowl ; sprinkle over with your finger a small tea-spoonful 
of salt, and half a one of pepper ; add three of oil, and two of Eng- 
lish vinegar, or one of French ; with the spoon and fork turn the 
salad lightly in the bowl, till well mixed ; the less it is handled 
the better. The French add onions, garlic, and sometimes — to 
improve the appearance of the salad when on the table, before 
being used, — they intermix, with taste and care, the flower of the 
nasturtium. 

Mustard and Cress. — These, if eaten alone, make an excellent 
salad ; they should be quickly washed and used, — dressed as 
^ettuce. 

Salad Sauce. — Bo*il one Qgg hard ; when cold, remove the 
yelk, bruise it to a pulp with a spoon, then add a raw yelk and a 
tea-spoonful of flour, a small tea-spoonful of salt, and a quarter 
of pepper ; to this add half a spoonful of vinegar ; stir it, pour 



SALADS. 149 

over it a tea-spoonful of oil by degrees ; keep stirring, tlien a little 
more vinegar, and more of oil, until eight tea-spoonsful of oil and 
three of vinegar are used ; season, if you like, with celery, or 
half a tea-spoonful of chopped onions, two of parsley, a pinch of 
cayenne, and six tea-spoonsful of cold drawn butter. The white 
of the egg may be chopped up, and added. This sauce will keep 
for some time, if properly corked. 

Chicken Salad. — Cut up a boiled chicken into small pieces, 
and pour over it the above salad sauce, seasoning with celery, 
and using melted butter, instead of salad oil, if preferred. Any 
cold meat or poultry can be made into a relishing dish, by pre- 
paring after the above method. 

Lobster Salad. — Have a bowl half filled with any kind of 
salad herb you like, either lettuce, or celery, or cauliflower, or 
onion, etc- Then break a lobster in two, open the tail, extract 
the meat in one piece, break the claws, cut the meat of both in 
small slices about a quarter of an inch thick, and arrange these taste- 
fully on the salad. Take out all the soft part from the belly, mix 
it in a dish with a tea-spoonful of salt, half of pepper, four of 
vinegar, four of oil ; stir it well together, and pour on the salad ; 
then cover it with two hard eggs, cut in slices, and, to vary, a 
few capers and some fillets of anchovy ; stir lightly, and serve. 

" A sharp vinegar destroys its own barrel." 



]50 DINNER. 



PICKLES. 

The notable housewife has often wondered how it was that all 
the pickles of the shops were of so much more inviting color than 
her own ; but when she is informed that it is now proved, beyond 
doubt, that " to this complexion do they come " by the use of 
copper, introduced for the sole purpose of making a lively green, 
she will feel jealous no longer, and rest satisfied that the home- 
made articles, if less inviting and vivid in color, are at least more 
wholesome. Chemists have also found that the vinegar in the 
bottles owes most of its strength to the introduction of sulphuric 
acid. A simple test to discover the presence of copper in such 
articles, is to place a bright knitting-needle in the vinegar, and 
let it remain there for a few hours, when the deleterious metal 
will speedily form a coating over it, dense or thin, according to 
the amount which exists. Wherever large quantities are found, 
it is wilfully inserted for the purpose of producing the bright 
green color ; but a small quantity may find its way into the 
pickles in the process of boiling in copper pans. Instances are 
known of sickness, produced by eating pickles that had been al- 
lowed to remain in a brass kettle until cold. A porcelain kettle 
is the safest to use. After attending a dinner party in London, 
several persons were taken sick, and, without any known cause, 
died suddenly. Many years after, when the cook was near her 
end, she confessed that through her carelessness in jDreparing the 
pickles for the entertainment, these deaths were caused. The 
pickles had been allowed to remain for hours in a brass kettle, 
mtil they were completely poisoned. 

PicJded Peaches. — To six lbs. of the fruit, three lbs. of sugar, 



PICKLES. 151 

one quart of vinegar, cinnamon and spice. Add the sugar and 
spices to the vinegar ; then heat the latter, and skim the surface. 
Put in the peaches, and boil them until tender enough to prick 
with a fork. Take them up, and, after a few days, heat the vine- 
gar again, and pour it over them. 

Pickled Pears. — Pears are pickled after the same rule as the 
above for peaches. 

Pickled Sweet Apples. — To half a peck of sweet apples, make a 
syrup of two lbs. of sugar and one pint of vinegar. Boil the ap- 
ples in this syrup until tender ; then remove them, and make a 
new syrup of two and a half lbs. of sugar and one pint of vinegar. 
Add one teaspoon of cloves, and the same of cinnamon, tied in a 
bag. Boil the syrup jfifteen or twenty minutes ; then pour it, 
while hot, over the fruit. The first syrup is good for other sauces. 

Pickled Cherries. — To six lbs. of cherries, three lbs. of sugar 
and one quart of vinegar. Lay the fruit into the jar in which it 
is to be kept ; dissolve the sugar in the vinegar, throwing in cin- 
namon and cloves. Heat the vinegar, and skim the surface ; 
then pour it over the fruit. After standing a few days, if it 
seems necessary, scald the vinegar, and pour over the fruit again. 

Pickled Plums. — Follow the above rule for pickling cherries. 

Swee' Pickled Cucumbers. — Pare and cut in halves ripe cucum- 
bers. Kemove the seeds ; then to one quart of vinegar, put 
three pounds of sugar and spices. Scald them together, skim the 
surface, and pour over the cucumbers. 

Green Pickled Cucumhers. — Small cucumbers are the nicest 
for pickling ; pick them from the vines as you find them of the 
right size, and lay them in salted water. When you have gathered 
enough for a full jar, soak them in clear water for twelve hours ; 



152 DINNER. 

then place tliem in tlic jar, heat spiced vinegar and pour it over 
them ; cloves and red pepper are the proper spices for this vine- 
gar. These pickles are for innnediate use. It may be necessary 
to heat the vinegar a second time, and pour it hot over the pickles 
as before. Cucumbers to keep for Avinter pickles, when first picked, 
should be rinsed and laid down in a jar or tub, with salt on the 
bottom ; then a layer of cucumbers, another of salt, and so on, un- 
til the tub is full. Some persons keep them in a strong brine of 
salt and water, laying a weight upon them to keep them down. 
Before putting the weight upon them, spread a cloth upon the cu- 
umbers, fastening it with cross sticks ; upon this, lay the weight. 
This cloth is to keep the scum which is upon the surfoce of the 
brine from the pickles. By either of the above methods, the cu- 
cumbers will keep for months. AVhen you wish to put them to tlie 
vinegar, prepare them after the following manner. 

Pirpariug Winter PicUes. — Take them from the brine, place 
them over the fire, and cover with fresh water ; when they are 
scalded, take them from the fire, and after throwing a little salt 
into the water, set them (in the kettle) to cool. The next day 
pour oft' the water, cover them again with fresh water, scald up 
and set away to cool, throwing in a little salt as before. Repeat 
this process for nine days ; then scald the vinegar, dissolving in 
it a bit of alum the size of a nutmeg for a moderate-sized jar of 
pickles ; while hot, pour the vinegar over the cucumbers ; after a 
a few days, if necessary, heat the vinegar a second time, and pour 
it over them. Pickles thus prepared have no white scum rising on 
the surface. 

Pickled J^eets. — Boil them until tender, and while hot, drop 
them whole, if small, into spiced vinegar; if large, slice the beets. 
The spiced vinegar in which peaches have been pickled, is very 
good for beets. 

PicUed Cauliflower. — Break off the flowers, put a layer of them 



PICKLES. 153 



in a jar, and sprinkle salt over them ; then another layer of the 
cauliflowers ; then salt, and so on. Let them remain two or three 
days ; then wash off the salt, and pour spiced vinegar boiling hot 
over them. If necessary, heat the vinegar a few days after, and 
pour it over them again. 

Boiled Pickled Cabbage. — Wash the heads thoroughly, cut them 
into quarters, and boil until tender ; then put them down in layers 
in a tub, sprinkling upon each layer salt, allspice, and ground 
cinnamon, using two oz. of salt, and one oz. each of cinnamon 
and allspice to eight quarts of cabbage. When put down, cover 
all with vinegar. The boiling before pickling is esteemed by 
many a decided improvement upon the old method of pickling 
raw cabbage, which is done as follows : — Chop the cabbage fine, 
salt and pepper it ; lay it in a stone jar, and slice over it a boiled 
red beet and an onion, if you like it ; then cover with scalding 
hot vinegar into which spices have been thrown. 

Pickled Nasturtions. — Gather the seeds when green, and not 
quite fully grown ; drop them into vinegar as you gather them ; 
when you have a sufficient quantity, scald the whole in the vine- 
gar and bottle them. 

Pickled Walnuts or Butternuts. — Gather the nuts when so green 
that a pin can be thrust through them ; scald them in hot water, 
and rub them in a cloth to remove the roughness ; soak them in 
salt brine for a week or so ; pierce them with an awl or needle, 
and put them in close jars, covering them with scalding vinegar, 
in which are cloves, cinnamon, &c. 

Pickled Onions. — Boil small onions (until about half cooked) 
in salted water ; then, while hot, drop them into a jar of spiced 
vinegar. Pepper is the best spice for this vinegar. 



154 DINNER. 



Pepper grows in Siimatrn. It is n vine or ereeping plant, the 
fruit lumping in elusters like theenrnint. This vine runs upon a 
pole. A\'lien tlie fruit is pithered at the proper time, it shrinks 
hut little ; a ju'rson skilled in the trade ean easily distinguish 
what has been pii-ked ])reniaturely, hy rubbing it in the hand, 
when it will iujpart nuieh dust, and even sometimes eriunble 
into (hisl. 

It is said, that to ehew parsley after eating onions, will re- 
move the odor of the latter from the breath. Orris root has tho 
same etfeet. 

MaiHjot's. — Take small melons, cut them lengthwise, so as to 
ojuMi and take out tlie seeds, and put them into weak brine. 
Let them remain in it live or six days; then soak them in 
fresh water for twenty -four hours. Prepare horse-radish, stripped 
in snuiU pieees, eueumbers of the smallest size, nasturtions, mus- 
tard-seed, and a few cloves. Fill the melons with them, and sew 
the halves together, or tie them with twine; lay them closely in a 
jar, and pour scalding vinegar over them, in which are a few 
small red peppers ; cover the jar closely. 

PHi-hil K<j(/s. — r»oil the eggs hard, remove the shells, and 
lay the eggs whole in a glass or earthen jar; pour over them 
scalded vinegar, with i»owdercd nmstard in it; the latter will 
color the eggs a little. If you prefer it, spico the vinegar with 
l>eppcr, cloves, or allspice. Eggs thus i)ickled are excellent with 
meat. 

** They hac need o' a canny eook, wha hac but (/(■ (V/// to their 
dinner." 

Piiihd Tomatoes. — Small tomatoes, when ripe, are the best 
for pickling. Let them stand in salt and water twelve hours; 
rinse thcui, stick cloves into each, and put them into ajar; pour 



DRINKS. 155 

hot vinegar over them, cover closely, and if it do not penetrate 
sufficiently, heat the vinegar a second time. 

lUfjdiyia. — A large supply of green tomatoes are usually found 
upon the vines quite late in the season, which it is convenient to 
preserve in the following manner : — Wash and chop them fine, 
sprinkle salt upon them, and cut several onions in slices, stirring 
them in well ; cover all with a plate, and let it stand twelve 
hours ; then pour off the water which has come out of it, and 
press it in a colander to remove the remainder. Pack it in a jar 
with good vinegar, salt, pepper, and mustard-seed. 

The clove-tree is a native of the Spice Islands ; the blossoms 
are first white, then green, and at last red and hard, when they 
become cloves. When dried, they turn yellow, and then dark 
brown. 



DRINKS. 

"O, how widely wandereth he 
Who, in search of verity, 
Keeps aloof from glorious wine ! 
Lo, the knowledge it bringeth to me ! 
For liarbarofisa, this wine so bright. 
With its rich red look and its strawberry light. 
So inviteth me, 
So delighteth me, 

I should infallibly quench my inside with it. 
Had not Hippocrates 
And old Andromachus 
Strictly forbidden it 
And loudly chidden it, 
go many stomachs have sickened and died with it." 

Translation from Franeeaeo liedL 



A Greek writer quotes the following from an ancient poem, 
where Bacchus is introduced as saying : 



15(i DIXNEE. 

"Let them three parts of wine all duly season 
"With nine of water, who'd preserve their reason; 
The first gives health ; the second, sweet desires ; 
The third, tranquillity and sleep inspires. 
These are the wholesome draughts which wise men please, 
Who from the banquet home return in peace. 
From a fourth measure insolence proceeds ; 
Uproar, a fifth ; a sixth, wild license breeds ; 
A seventh brings black eyes and livid bruises ; 
The eighth, the constable next introduces ; 
Black gall and hatred lurk the ninth beneath ; — 
The tenth is madness, arms, and fearful death ; 
For too much wine, pour'd in one little vessel, 
Trips up all those who seek with it to wrestle." 

French Currant Wine. — To one quart of currant-juice addtwc 
quarts of water. As the squeezed currants still have some acid 
to them, put to them a pint more of water for every quart of juice 
which you have previously expressed ; squeeze these currants 
again, and add the juice to the other liquid ; let the latter stand 
in a tub over night ; then skim the surface, add fifteen pounds of 
sugar to twenty quarts of the liquid ; pour all into gallon jugs or 
casks, (if you are making a large quantity of wine,) leaving the 
cork out of the jugs, or the bung-hole open if you use casks, until 
all the sediment has risen to the top ; draw it off then into bot- 
tles. Some persons add one gill of brandy to each gallon of the 
wine when putting it into bottles. Like all other wine, it im- 
proves by age. Where sweeter wine is preferred, one pound of 
sugar is put to each quart of the liquid. 

Black currant wine is an excellent medicine, for fevers, ulcer- 
ous sore throats, and putrid dysentery. 

" Drink with moderation ; for inebriety neither keeps a secret 
nor performs a promise." — Spanish Fiw." 

Gooseherrij Wine is made like currant wine, but with one- 



DEINKS. 157 

third less sugar. In making this wine, use no berries that have 
fallen upon the ground, or have been shaded and grown sour. 
To one quart of juice, add two of water, and two pounds of sugar. 

At one of the feasts which Cleopatra gave to Antony at Alex- 
andria, she dissolved pearls in her drink, in order to render her 
entertainment more costly. 

Elderherry Wine. — Pour seven gallons of water over three 
gallons of berries. After it has stood two days, boil it an hour, 
and press the juice through a coarse cloth ; then add to it twenty 
pounds of sugar, one half pound of ginger, one oz. of cloves, one oz. 
of allspice. Boil all together ; then put it in a tub, and, when colcl, 
add some yeast spread on toasted bread ; after two days, put all 
in a cask, leaving the bung loose for two months ; add afterward 
one quart of brandy. 

Parsnip Wine. — A delicious wine may be made from parsnips. 
Wash and scrape the roots clean, cut them up fine, and to every 
quart of the cut roots, add one quart of water ; boil them a little 
more than an hour ; strain the liquid, and to each gallon, add 
three and a half pounds of coarse sugar ; stir it well, and when 
cool, set it to work with some yeast on a piece of toasted bread. 
After standing from twelve to eighteen hours, draw it into casks, 
having sufficient liquid to fill the cask from time to time, as is 
necessary in the process of working. After it is done working, 
close the bung firmly, and let it stand a year ; then draw it into 
bottles, putting a lump of sugar in each bottle. This process is 
commenced in the spring of the year after the parsnips have re- 
mained in the ground all winter. 

Rasphcrry Wine, when made like the currant, is said to 
be the most delicious of all home wines. 

*' Keep to old wine and old friends." 



158 DINNER. 

Fountains of Wine. — During the progress of Richard II. and 
his first queen through the country, " at the upper end of Chepe, 
was a pageant of a castle with towers, from two sides of which 
ran fountains of wine." 

When the King and Queen approached the conduit at 
Cheapside, red and white wine played from the spouts of a tower 
erected against it, and the royal pair were served " with rosy 
wine, smiling in golden cups." 

In Russia, whortleberries are made into brandy and wine. 

The German drink, " kirchwasser," is obtained from the com- 
mon black cherry ; the stones are ground and broken with the 
pulp ; the whole is fermented, and a distilled liquor obtained. 
" Mareschino," a liquor of Italy, is obtained from a small cherry ; 
honey being mixed with the leaves and fruit during the process 
of fermentation. 

The cultivated cherry was brought from Asia Minor by the 
Roman general, Lucullus, and planted in his garden in Italy. 

There are only two secrets a man cannot keep — 
One when he's in love, t'other when he's drunk deep ; 
For these facts are so proved by his tongue or his eyes, 
That we see it more plainly the more he denies. — Old Poet. 

Metheglin. — Mix one and a half barrel of water with as much 
honey as will cause an egg to rise a little above the water ; then 
boil the mixture to one barrel, skimming off the surface ; it will 
be a fine red or wine color, and clear ; then remove it from the 
fire, and when cold, put it into a barrel, leaving the bung-hole 
open for several days until the fermentation be over ; then stop 
it close, and put into a cold cellar. 

Ginger Beer. — Three gallons of cold spring water, one quart 
of molasses, one table-spoon of cream-of-tartar, three table-spoons 
of ginger, one quart of yeast ; mix together in a tub, and stand 



DRIXKS. 159 

for six hours. It may then he hottled, and will he fit for drink- 
ing in one day. 

" It is climate that suggests the quality of drinks. While 
the North is cunning in the distillation of strong liquors, the 
South is equally remarkable for the ingenuity with which cooling 
drinks are prepared — from the choice lemonade and orgeat, to 
the delicious chopped ice-sherbet, with the orange-flower flavor." 

Raspberry Vinegar, {Strawberries are done in the same ivay.) — 
Put two quarts of ripe fresh berries into a stone jar, and pour on 
them a quart of vinegar ; let it stand twenty-four hours ; then 
strain it through a sieve, or flannel bag ; pour the liquid over 
two more quarts of fresh berries, and let it again infuse for 
twenty-four hours ; then strain it a second time ; then to every 
pint of juice take a pound of loaf-sugar ; let it melt in the liquor ; 
put the whole into a stone jar, cover it closely, and set it into a 
kettle of boiling water, which must be kept on a quick boil for an 
hour; strain it Avell, and when cold, bottle it for use. When 
mixed with water, it is a pleasant cooling beveraofe in warm 
weather, or in cases of fever. 

Imperial — Take two gallons of water, two oz. of ginger, 
bruised, and two lemons ; boil them together ; when lukewarm, 
pour the whole on one and a-half pound of loaf sugar, and two 
oz. of cream-of- tartar ; add four table-spoonsful of yeast, and let 
them work together for six hours ; then strain the liquor, and 
bottle it off in small stone bottles. It will be ready for use in a 
few hours. 

Sherbet. — Take nine Seville oranges and three lemons ; grate 
oflf the yellow from the rinds, and put the raspings into a gallon 
of water, with three pounds of double refined sugar, and boil it 
to a candy height ; then take it oflf the fire, and add the pulp of 



160 DINNER. 

tlie oranges and lemons ; keep stirring it till it is almost cold ; 
then put it in a vessel for use. 

Lemon Water. — Put two slices of lemon, thinly pared, into 
a tea-pot, with a little bit of the peel, and a bit of sugar, or a 
large spoonful of capillaire ; pour in a jDint of boiling water, and 
stop it close for two hours. 

Egg-Flip^ [or Egg Posset.) — Beat up well the yelks of eight 
eggs, with refined sugar pulverized, and a grated nutmeg ; then 
extract the juice from the rind of a lemon, by rubbing loaf-sugar 
upon it, and put the sugar with a piece of cinnamon, and a bottle 
of wine into a sauce-pan ; place it on the fire, taking it oft" when 
it boils ; then add a single glass of cold white wine ; put the 
liquor into a spouted jug, and pour it gradually among the yelks 
of eggs ; all must be kept well stirred while the liquid is pouring 
in ; if it be not sweet enough, add loaf sugar : and, lastly, pour 
the mixture as swiftly as possible from one vessel to another, 
until it yields a fine froth. Observe, that if the wine be 2)oured 
boiling hot among the eggs, the mixture will curdle, and the 
posset be spoiled. This beverage should be drank hot. 

This and the three preceding receipts belong to the " Oxford 
drinks," given by William Hone. 

In the early ages of the world, snow and ice were used to 
cool the drinks. The custom of cooling drinks with saltpetre was 
introduced into Italy in the sixteenth century. 

Tlie Thirst of Tantalus. — "I saw," says Homer's Ulysses, 
" the severe punishment of Tantalus, In a lake, whose water 
approached to his lips, he stood burning with thirst, without the 
powder to drink. Whenever he inclined his head to the stream, 
some deity commanded it to be dry, and the dark earth aj^peared 
at his feet. Around him lofty trees spread their fruits to view ; 



DEINKS. 161 

the pear, the pomegranate, and the apple, — the green olive and 
the luscious fig, quivered before him ; which, whenever he extended 
his hand to seize tliem, were snatched by the winds into clouds 
and obscurity." 

Frment, Morat, Mead, and Perry, were ancient beverages in 
England. The favorite drinks in the seventeenth century were 
Buttered Ale, Bristol Milk, and LamVs Wool. 

Buttered Ale was composed of sugar, cinnamon, butter and 
beer brewed without hops, '^le was universally popular with all 
classes. " The invention of bottling ale is ascribed to Nowell, 
who is said to have taken some ale in a bottle with him when he 
went angling at one time, forgot it in the grass, and found it a few 
days afterwards, not a bottle any longer, but a gun, from the 
noise it made when the cork was drawn." — Isaac Walton. 

Bristol Milk was a sort of milk punch. 

Lamlfs Wool was made of ale mixed with sugar, nutmeg, and 
the pulp of roasted apple. On the first of November, it was an 
ancient Celtic practice to indulge in a sort of feast, which was 
called La-mas JJhlial, the day of the apple fruit ; because on that 
occasion, roasted apples were bruised and mixed in ale, milk, or 
wine. This is the origin of " Lamb's Wool." 

Orange Wine, and Wormwood Wine, are mentioned by writers 
of that age. Ipocras was a favorite preparation of red wine, 
strained through a woollen bag, filled with spice and sugar. 

At the time of which we treat, wines were not only taken new 
and strong, but had usually sugar added to them at the time of 
drinking. Punch received the countenance of the rich and hon- 
orable, but Sack Posset, on especial occasions, was supreme fashion. 

The following is an extract from a letter describing the fes- 
tivities at Belvoir Castle, in 1693, on the arrival of Lord Ross 
with his bride : 

"After a feast, which was exceeding magnificent, the whole 
11 



162 DINNEE. 

company went in procession to the great liall — the bride and 
bridegroom first, and all the rest in order, two and two ; there it 
was the scene opened, and the great cistern appeared, and the 
healths began ; first in spoons, some time after in silver cups ; and 
though the healths were many, and great variety of names given 
to them, it was observed, after an hour's hot service, the posset did 
not sink above one inch, which made my Lady Eutland call in all 
the family, and then, upon their knees, the bride and bridegroom's 
healths, with prosperity and happiness, was drunk in tankards 
brimful of sack posset. 

Drinhlng Ciqys. — A writer in 1635, says : " Of drinking cups, 
divers and sundry sorts we have ; some of elme, some of boxe, 
some of maple, some of holly, etc.; mazers, broad-mouthed dishes, 
noggins, whiskins, piggins, crinzes, ale-bowls, wassell-bowls, 
court-dishes, tankards, kannes, from a pottle to a pint, from a pint 
to a gill. Other bottles we have of leather, but they are most 
used among the shepherds and harvest-people of the country ; 
small jacks we have in many ale-houses of the citie and suburbs, 
tip't with silver, besides the great-black-jacks and bombards at 
the court, which, when the Frenchmen first saw, they reported at 
their returne into their country, that the Englishmen used to 
drinke out of their bootes. We have, besides, cups made out of 
homes of beasts, of cockernuts, of goords, of the eggs of ostriches ; 
others made of the shells of divers fishes, brought from the Indies 
and other places, and shining like mother-of-pearle. Come to 
plate; every tavern can afford you flat-bowles, French bowles, 
prounet cups, beare bowles, beakers ; and private householders, 
when they make a feaste to entertaine their friends, can furnish 
their cupboards with flagons, tankards, beere-cups, wine-bowles, 
some white, some percell gilt, some gilt all over, some with cov- 
ers, others without, of sundry shapes and qualities." 

King Edgar, that his subjects might not offend in swilling 



DRINKIXG-CUPS. " 163 



and bibbling as they did, caused certain iron cups to be chained 
to every fountain and well-side, and at every vintner's door, with 
iron pins in them, to stint every man how much he should drink, 
and he who went beyond one of these pins, forfeited a penny for 
every draught. Of these peg tankards, as they were called, an 
old writer says : " They have in the inside a row of eight pins, 
one above another, from top to bottom ; the tankard holds two 
quarts, so that there is a gill of ale between each pin. The first 
person that drank was to emj)ty the tankard to the first pin or 
peg ; the second was to empty to the next pin, (fee, by which 
means the pins were so many measures to the compotators, making 
them all drink alike, or the same quantity ; and as the distance 
of the pins was such as to contain a large draught of liquor, the 
company would be very liable by this method to get drunk, espe- 
cially when, if they drank short of the pin or beyond it, they were 
obliged to drink again." 

We are also told of globular glasses and bottles, which by their 
shape cannot stand, but roll about the table, thus compelling the 
unfortunate Bacchanalian to drain the last dregs or expose his 
recreant sobriety. 

The horns of animals were apparently the first articles con- 
verted into drinking vessels ; the vulgar expression " taking a 
horn," when applied to a draught of liquor, undoubtedly arose 
from their being used for this purpose. 

That must have been indeed a savage, feast, where the skulls 
of vanquished enemies served as cups for the intoxicating drink ; 
yet such a feast was given annually by the governors of the Scy- 
thian provinces to commemorate their victories, and to do honor 
to each warrior who had with his own hand despatched an enemy. 
The skulls of the vanquished served for their cups, and the quan- 
tity of wine they were allowed to drink, was proportioned to the 
number of skulls they possessed. 

The Caledonians served their choicest liquors in shells. These 



164 DINNER. 

were cockles, held with the thumb placed on the hinge part, and 
they were in use among the Highlanders until a very recent period. 
Boswell mentions that whiskey Avas dipped out in a shell at Mr. 
McSwein's, in the isle of Coll, in 1773. They also used wooden 
cups, and a round vessel with two handles by which it was carried 
to the head. Every draught among the Highlanders had its sig- 
nificant appellation ; that of '''•stirrup cup" was given to that taken 
at the door of a house when about to depart. 

A wooden cup long used by Robert Burns, is now in the pos- 
session of a gentleman in Massachusetts. It is asserted that it 
was turned out of a dining table used by Robert Bruce at Brodick, 
and brought from the Holy Land in the time of the Crusaders. 
Of the authenticity of these statements there may be some doubt. 

Among the curiosities at General Jackson's residence, the 
Hermitage, is a double cup, that is, two cups with one bottom, so 
that when one is turned up, the other is turned down. It is' of 
hickory, and is simply a block about one foot in length, with both 
ends hollowing, and was cut on Long Island from a hickory 
sprout, the parent stem of which was severed by a cannon ball in 
the war of the Revolution. Although not strictly under this head, 
yet as belonging to the drinking vessels, we will mention a wooden 
pitcher belonging also to the Hermitage : 

It was made of wood from the elm tree under which William 
Pcnn made the celebrated Indian Treaty. The pitcher was made 
and presented by the coopers of Philadelphia to General Jackson. 
Although not larger than a common cream-jug, it contains seven 
hundred and fifty staves ; the hoops, lip and handle are of silver ; 
the bottom is a magnifying glass which enables you to see the 
joints, which are not visible to the naked eye. 

There is an immense silver gilt punch bowl at Jesus College, 
Oxford, which will hold ten gallons. Its ladle will hold half a 
pint. It is filled on St. David's Day with what is called " swig,'* 
for a wassail bowl, and handed to the guests at the hospitable board. 



DRIXKING-CUPS. 165 



The drinking cups belonging to the nobles of Eome were made 
3f precious stones, or porcelain, or of gold and silver ; and at ban- 
cruets were sometimes crowned with flowers. 

" It is customary at meetings of the Highland societies to ac- 
company certain toasts with ' Celtic honors,' which are thus be- 
stowed : The chief or chairman, standing up, gives the toast, and, 
with a slight wave of the hand, repeats three times — ' Suas e,' 
' suas e^ ' suas e^ up with it — up with it — up with it — the whole 
company also standing, and joining him in three short huzzas. 
This is repeated, when he then pronounces the word ' nish ' also 
three times, with peculiar emphasis, in which he is joined by the 
company, who dwell a considerable time on the last cheer. As the 
company sit down, the piper strikes up an appropriate tune." — 
Scottish Antiquities. 

At the recent Burns Festival in New York, the health of the 
President of the day, William C. Bryant, was drank with " High- 
land honors," every guest standing in his chair with one foot upon 
the table. 

In London, at the city dinners, the ^'•loving cujy^^ is passed 
round. A richly chased gold or silver standing cup or cover (the 
gift of some deceased benefactor) is placed before the Lord Mayor, 
or Master, and the Master of Ceremonies proclaims, " The master 
bids all welcome, and greets you all in the loving cup." The 
clothworkers boast their "Pepys " and other cups ; the barbers those 
of Henry VIIL, Queen Elizabeth, and Charles II., and so on with 
the other trades and avocations. The cup or cups, filled with 
spiced wine, are passed round. As each receives the cup, his 
nearest neighbor rises, takes off the cover, and, standing, holds 
it until the drinker has done, when he passes on the cup, and is 
in like way helped by his neighbor. This old custom of pledg- 
ing, is reverentially kept up by the citizens, as implying the mu- 
tual service and brotherhood of all. 



166 DINNER. 



DESSERT. 



-Let us tread the maze 



O' autumn, unconflned ; and taste, revived, 
The breath of orchard big with bending fruit 
Obedient to the breeze and beating ray, 
From the deep-loaded bough a mellow shower 
Incessant melts away. The juicy pear 
Lies, in a soft profusion, seatterd round. 
A various sweetness swells the gentle race ; 
By nature's all-refining hand prepared ; 
Of temper'd sun, and water, earth, and air, 
In ever-changing composition mix'd. 
Such, falling frequent through the chiller night, 
The fragrant stores, the wide projected heaps 
Of apples, which the lusty-handed year, 
Innumerous, o'er the blushing orchard shakes ; 
A various spirit, fresh, delicious, keen. 
Dwells in their gelid pores ; and, active, points 
The piercing cider for the thirsty tongue. 

Thomson. 

Desserts of the Olden Time. 

I crack mj brains to find out tempting sauces, 

And raise fortifications in the pastry, 

Such as might serve for models in the Low Countries, 

Which, if they had been practised at Breda, 

Spinola might have thrown his cap at it, and ne'er took it. 

Lady AUworWs cooTc, in Xeio Way to Fay Old Debts. 

The pastry and confections of the olden time are much cele- 
orated. Whole heroic poems were represented in them ; castles, 
and battles, and sieges, and armor bristling terribly. 

It might be comj)aratively easy to build up square castles and 
bulwarks in stiff and sturdy paste ; but to construct what were 
called " subtleties " of sweetmeats, formed in every possible de- 
vice, must have required great skill. These subtleties were some- 
times displayed between the courses, and sometimes they were 



DESSERT. 16? 



reserved for the banquet, or dessert, as Ave call it. The following 
is a list of the sugar- work part of an entertainment given by the 
Earl of Hertford to Queen Elizabeth, in 1591 : — 

" Her majestie's arms in sugar worke. The several armes of 
all our nobilitie in sugar worke. Many men and women in sugar 
worke, and some inforst by hand. Castles, forts, ordnance, 
drummers, trumpeters, and soldiers of all sorts. Lions, unicorns, 
beares, horses, camels, bulls, rams, dogges, elephants, antelopes, 
dromedaries, apes, and all other beasts, in sugar worke. Eagles, 
falcons, cranes, bustardes, heronshawes, pheasants, partridges, 
quails, larkes, sparrows, pigeons, owles, and all that flie, in sugar 
worke. Snakes, adders, vipers, frogs, toads, ' and all kinds of 
worms,' mermaids, whales, dolphins, conger-eels, sturgeons, and 
' all sort of fishes,' in sugar. Also grapes, oysters, mussels, 
cockles, periwinkles, crabs, lobsters, apples, pears, plums, leaches, 
comfits, etc., etc., etc., all in sugar worke. 

" This banquet, or dessert, was carried into the gallery in the 
garden, by two hundred of Lord Hertford's gentlemen. There 
were a thousand dishes, all glass or silver ; a hundred torch- 
bearers lighted the way." 

Destruction of Troy in a Dessert. — ^Nichols records that he 
was present at a banquet, after a sumptuous supper, where the 
destruction of Troy was " livelie described in a marchpane pat- 
tern ; there was also a goodlie sight of hunters, with full crie of 
a kennel of hounds ; Mercuric and Iris descending and ascending, 
from and to an high place, the tempests wherein it hailed small 
Gonfects, rained rosewater, and snew an artificial kind of snow, 
all strange, marvellous, and abundant. 

The "marchpane" was indispensable at dessert, and was also a 
very usual offering of courtesy to visitors. It was made of pis- 
tachio nuts, almonds, and sugar. Queen Elizabeth was presented 



168' DINNER. 



by her cook, on one occasion, with a fair marchpane, with St. 
George in the midst. 

Quahing Custard. — A most strange custom prevailed before 
and about the time of Charles I. of England. This was to have 
a huge " quaking custard " on the table, into which, at a private 
signal, the City Fool suddenly leapt over the heads of the aston- 
ished feasters, who were instantly bespattered with this rich and 
savory mud. Shakespeare says, 

ParolUs. I know not how I have deserved to nm into my lord's displeasure. 
Lafeu. You have made shift to run into 't, boots and spurs, and all, like him 
that leap'd into the custard. 

These custards must certainly have been huge, for no ordinary 
supply was wanted ; the worthy aldermen not only ate largely in 
public, but seem to have had a reserve portion for home. It was 
quite usual to send or take some of it home for their ladies. 
Some of them seem to have applied this perquisite to the further- 
ance of their domestic economy. In the old play, " Wit in a 
Constable," a young lady is reprobating her guardian's stinginess, 
and after referring to her attire, she continues, 

Nor shall you, sir, (as 'tis a frequent custom, 
'Cause you are worthy alderman of a ward,) 
Feed me with custard, and perpetual white broth, 
^ent from the Lord Mayor's feast, or the sheriff's feast, 
And here preserved ten days, (as 'twere in pickle,) 
Till a new dinner from the common hall 
Supply the large defect. 

Citron, of Fashion. 

Pyrarnids at a Dessert. — About two hundred years ago, it was 
the fashion to place on the board, pyramids of fruit and sweet- 
meats, so huge, that it was impossible to see people at opposite 
ends of the table. In some houses the doors were made higher, . 
in order to admit the pyramids of fruit. Mad. de Sevigne states 



DESSERT. 169 



that, at one grand dinner where she was a guest, a pyramid of 
fruit, with twenty or thirty pieces of china on it, was so entirely 
overset with coming in at the door, that the noise it made com- 
pletely drowned the music of the violins, hautboys, and trumpets. 
It does not appear that this fashion of the enormous pyramids 
lasted long, hut in the last century, in England, fruit was always 
piled up in pyramids, and in quantities which now would he ac- 
counted vulgar in the extreme. — Chron. of Fashion. 

Horace Walpole records, of one most aristocratic fete, given 
by Miss Chudleigh, (Duchess of Kingston,) that, '''on all the side- 
boards, and even on the chairs, were pyramids and troughs of 
strawberries and cherries." 

The desserts of the last century seem to have rivalled in in- 
genuity and curiosity those already mentioned. 

" In 1745, soon after the celebrated outbreak of the Jacobite 
party, the Prince of Wales had, on his table, the representation 
in sugar of the citadel of Carlisle, and the company bombarded 
it with sugar plums. 

"At a magnificent entertainment at Bedford House, there 
was in the dessert a model of Walton-bridge ; this was, however, 
in glass." — Chron. of Fashion. 

Horace Walpole writes, in 1758, '*The earl and countess of 
Northumberland have diverted the town with a supper, which 
they intended should make their Court to my Lady Yarmouth ; 
the dessert was a chasse at Herenhausen, the rear of which was 
brought up by a chaise and six, containing a man with a blue 
ribbon, and a lady sitting by him." 

In 1787, the earl and countess of Salisbury gave a magnifi- 
cent entertainment at Hatfield. The dessert was as follows, 
being devised by English artists alone : 



170 DINNEE. 

" In the marble hall, in the middle of the centre table, was a 
banner in pastry, with the arms of the Salisbury and Hillsborough 
families. The top and bottom pieces consisted of the arms of the 
county. The pastry ornaments on the side-tables, were two large 
ships-of-war in full sail, which were so well executed as to excite 
universal admiration. At the top table was a most remarkable 
large boar's head, so dressed that it looked more like a waxen 
model, than the masterly hand of art upon nature. The two 
otlier supper-rooms were adorned by devices in pastry, in a simi- 
lar manner." — From the " World'''' neivsimper^ 1787. 

A year or two later, at the banquet given by Queen Charlotte, 
in honor of the king's recovery, " the merely ornamental parts 
of the banquet were very beautiful. One piece of confectionery 
represented a temple, in which the various orders of architecture 
were beautifully and accurately displayed. On one table were 
various dancing figures ; on another, the personations of Faith, 
Hope, and Charity, done on sand, and glistening in the light." 



PIES. 



Drink now the strong beer; 

Cut the white loaf here 
The while the meat is a shredding; 

For the rare mince pie 

And the plums stand by, 
To fill the paste thafs a kneading. 

Old Christmas Song. 



Puf Paste. — The following receipt is so admirable, and the 
mode of operation so fully explained, that we esteem it the best 
we have ever met with. It is from the pen of M. Soyer, the 



PIES. 171 

*■ " ^ ■ II I I. ■ .^ 

famous cook and gastronomer: — Put one pound of flour upon 
your pastry slab, make a hole in the centre, in which put a tea- 
spoonful of salt ; mix it with cold water into a softish flexible 
paste with the right hand, dry it off a little with flour until you 
have well cleared the paste from the slab, but do not work it 
more than you can possibly help ; let it remain two minutes upon 
the slab, then have a pound of fresh butter, from which you have 
squeezed all the buttermilk in a cloth, bringing it to the same 
consistency as the paste, upon w^hich place it ; press it out flat 
with the hand, then fold over the edges of the paste so as to hide 
the butter, and roll it with the rolling-pin to the thickness of half 
an inch, thus making it about two feet in length ; fold over one 
third, over which again pass the rolling-pin ; then fold over the 
other third, thus forming a square, place it with the ends top and 
bottom before you, shaking a little flour both under and over, and 
repeat the rolls and turns twice again as before ; flour a baking- 
sheet, upon which lay it, upon ice, if handy, or in some cool place, 
for half an hour ; then roll twice more, turning it as before, 
place again upon the ice a quarter of an hour, give it two more 
rolls, making seven in all, and it is ready for use, as directed in 
the following receipts. You must continually add enough flour 
while rolling to prevent your paste sticking to the slab. 

IIalf-2niff Paste. — Put on the dresser or table " one pound of 
flour, half a tea-spoonful of salt, two ounces of butter, mix all to- 
gether, then add half a pint of water, or little more ; form a softisli 
paste, do not w^ork it too much with the hand, or it will make 
it hard and tough ; throw some more flour lightly over and un- 
der, roll it out with a rolling-pin half an inch thick, about a foot 
long ; then have half a pound of fresh butter equally as stiff as 
the paste, break it into small pieces, and put it on the paste ; 
throw a little more flour on it, and fold it over in two folds, throw 
some more flour on the slab, roll it out three or four times, letting 



172 DINNER. 



it rest between each two rolls, and it is then ready for use. When 
your paste is carefully made, which requires no more time than 
doing badly, and your pies and tarts properly full, (this is the 
last and most important process in pie and tart-making,) throw 
a little flour on your paste-board, take about a quarter of a pound 
of your paste, which roll with your hand, say an inch in circum- 
ference ; moisten the rim of your pie-dish, and fix the paste 
equally on it with your thumb. When you have rolled your 
paste for the covering of an equal thickness, in proportion to the 
contents of your pie, (half an inch is about correct for the above 
description,) fold the cover in two, lay on the half of your pie, 
turn the other half over, press slightly with your thumb round 
the rim, cut neatly the rim of your paste, form rather a thick 
edge, which mark with a knife about every quarter of an inch 
apart; mark, holding your knife in a slanting direction, which 
gives it a neat appearance ; make two small holes on the top ; egg 
over with a paste-brush ; if no egg, use a drop of milk or water ; 
the remaining paste may be shaped to fanciful designs to orna- 
ment the top. 

Mince Pie. — To one part of meat, put two parts of apples. 
Chop the meat and apples very fine, and mix them well together. 
Add stoned raisins. Sweeten with sugar, adding a little mo- 
lasses. Spice with cinnamon and cloves. Moisten the whole 
with water, and either brandy or wine ; some persons prefer 
cider. Dried citron sliced thin is an improvement to the mix- 
ture. When preparing to bake it, after spreading the mince- 
meat upon the lower crust, cut little bits of butter upon it, and 
then cover with upper crust. 

A Substitute for Ai^ples in Mince Pies. — When apples are 
scarce, you may make out of citrons an excellent substitute, by 
boiling them tender in clear water, first peeling and slicing the 
citron ; also removing the seed. After this, boil it a little in 



vinegar, and you can use it as you would apples, making equally 
good pies. 



Ode to the " Mixce Pye." 

{From the Year-BooTc of Wm. Hone.) 

Oh, king of Gates, whose pastry -bounded reign 
Is felt and own'd o'er pastry's wide domain ! 
Whom greater gluttons own their sovereign lord 
Than ever bowed beneath the dubbing sword ; — 
Say, can the spices from the Eastern grove, 
The fragrant cinnamon, the dusky clove. 
The strength of all the aromatic train 
That careful Dutchmen waft across the main. 
The pastry frontier, the embattled crust, 
Moulded with butter, and the mealy dust ; 
The taper rolling-pin, that white and round, 
Rolls o'er the dresser with a thund'ring sound ; 
Can apples, currants, raisins, all combin'd, 
Make a miuce-pye delight the taste refin'd. 
Command the praises of a pamper'd guest. 
Or court the palate with a genuine zest ? 
No ; none of these the appetite can crown, 
Or smooth the hungry aldermanic frown ; 
Weak in themselves alone, their tastes dispense 
Fallacious seemings to the outward sense ; 
Their truest influence depends on this ; 
Are these the objects of a glutton's bliss ? 
But happy they, thrice happy, who possess 
The art to mix these sweets with due address. 
Delight in pastry, temper well the crust. 
And hold the rolling-pin a sacred trust. 
Where shall the cook discern so sure a way 
To give mince-pies an universal sway ? 
For when the sweets, combin'd with happy skill. 
The light puff-paste with meat delicious fill. 
Like Albion's rich plum pudding, famous grown, 
The mince-pye reigns in realms beyond his own ; 
Through foreign latitudes his power extends, 
And only terminates where eating ends ; 
Blest epicures from every climate pour 
Their gustful praise ; his cumulating store 



1V4 DINNER. 

Improv'd in sweets and spices, hourly draws 
Tlie countless tribute of a world's applause. 
Hail, then, exalted pyc ! whose high renown 
Danes, Dutchmen, Russians, with applauses crown ! 
Sovereign of Gates, all hail ! nor then refuse 
This cordial off 'ring from an English muse, 
Who pours the brandy in libation free. 
And finds plum pudding realiz'd in thee. 

Ajyjjle Fie. — After making a crust of puff paste before de- 
scribed, and, spreading it upon a plate, slice over it tender sour 
apples ; pour over these a table-spoon of water and a cup of 
sugar; drop on evenly little bits of butter, and dredge a little 
flour upon all ; then put on your upper crust and bake. 

In baking a pie in a stove or range, it is best to first set the 
plate on the back part of it long enough to warm it ; then set it 
in the oven on the upper rack, so as to bake the upper crust quickly, 
watching it Mell; when it puffs up, and appears to be nearly 
done, remove it to the bottom of the oven, and let it bake the 
under crust. A pie should be well watched while baking. 

Lord Dudley was so fond of apple pie, tliat he could not 
dine comfortably without it. On one occasion at a grand dinner, 
he missed his fiivorite dish, and could not resist saying audibly, 
" God bless my soul ! no apple pie." 

Mock Apple Fie. — One Boston cracker, (or two soda crackers,) 
one cup of sugar, one cup of water, one egg, one lemon ; soak the 
cracker in the water ; add to it all the juice of the lemon, and 
grate what you can of the white, but not the yellow of the peel. 
With a nice crust this pie is delicious, and equal to a green apple 
pie ; it is therefore very conveniently made in the sprijig, when 
apples are scarce. 

Jclli/ Fie. — Make a nice crust ; take two soda crackers rolled 



PIES. 175 

fine, and one cup of currant jelly ; beat them well together, adding 
a little water, and bake in a quick oven. 

Puff els. — One quart of flour, one pint of milk, one table-spoon 
of sugar, one ag^ ; butter the size of an ^^%\ three teaspoons of 
cream-of-tartar, one and a half teaspoons of soda. 

Custard Pie. — For one pie, beat two eggs and one table-spoon 
of flour together. To this, add one pint of milk ; sweeten to taste, 
and grate nutmeg over it ; tlie flour and eggs must be beaten to- 
gether, otherwise the flour would settle at the bottom ; bake in 
deep pie-plates ; the pie is better for baking the crust a little, 
previous to adding the custard. 

" A dessert without cheese, is like a beauty wanting in an 
eye." — M. Savarix. 

Farina Pie. — Two eggs, one pint of new milk, one table-spoon 
of starch, half a teaspoon of salt, white sugar to sweeten. Set the 
milk over the fire ; let it simmer, but not boil ; soak the starch in 
a little cold milk, and when the other milk is hot,, stir the starch 
in ; then add the beaten eggs ; sweeten to taste ; let all boil a 
little, till it thickens ; then take it off, add the flavoring, and pour 
it into the crust. Bake half an hour ; beat the white of one egg, 
adding to it a table-spoon of sugar and a little of the flavoring. 
When the pie is baked, spread this beaten egg on the top, and 
set it back into the oven for a few minutes to brown it a little. 

Cocoa-nut Pie, [plain.) — Make a plain custard, with the pro- 
portion of one Qgg to a pie ; grate to it one quarter of a cocoanut. 

Rich Cocoa-nut Pie. — One quart of milk, six eggs, one cocoa- 
nut. Grate the cocoa-nut fine ; flavor with lemon, vanilla, or 
rose-water; sweeten with white sugar; strain the custard before 
adding the cocoa-nut. 



176 DINNER. 

This rule makes two pies ; they should be baked in deep pie- 
plates, with a rich crust of puff-paste. 

Pumi^hin Pie. — Cut the pumpkin in halves, and remove all 
the seeds ; then cut it into small pieces, and put the whole on to 
boil with a pint of water poured over them ; this moistens it suf- 
ficiently at first, and if the pumpkin is stirred frequently, it will 
not burn, — as it softens by cooking, it has sufficient moisture of 
its own. Let it stew an hour or more after it becomes soft ; then 
strain it through a colander into a large pan ; to each quart of 
pumpkin, add one quart of milk and four eggs ; sweeten to your 
taste with sugar ; spice with cinnamon and ginger. After all 
is prepared, set the pan containing the mixture upon a kettle of 
wa.rm water, that the whole may become warm while you prepare 
the crusts for the several pies ; bake the crusts a little before 
pouring the pumpkin into them; then fill, and bake immediately 
in a hot oven. 

Dried Pumpkin Pie. — Dry the pumpkin after the following 
manner : — Boil it a good while, then spread it upon plates, or 
drop a spoonful at a time upon buttered paper, which is laid 
on tins, forming cakes, as it were, and set the tins into a brick 
oven after you have removed your baking ; it dries in this way, 
without getting dusty. 

In making the pies, take for one pie three cakes of pumpkin, 
and three eggs ; sugar to your taste ; soften the pumpkin in 
warm milk ; strain through a colander ; spice with cinnamon, and 
bake in a deep dish. This is an excellent pie, and preferred by 
some persons to the fresh pumpkin. 

When well dried, the pumpkin will keep more than a year. 

" Cheese digests every thing but itself" 

Grated Pumpkin Pie. — An excellent pie is made by grating 



PIES. IT 7 

the raw pumpkin, adding one egg and one cup of cream for each 
pie. A little butter improves it. Sugar and spices to your taste. 

Cherry Pie. — Lay the cherries in a deep baking-dish, with 
plenty of sugar and a table-spoonful of flour. Place an inverted cup 
in the middle of the dish, and cover the whole with a crust. The 
cup prevents the crust from soaking into the juice of the fruit. 

Ripe Plum and Peach Pies may be made after the above rule 
for cherries. 

Strawberry, Raspberry , Blackberry, Whortleberry, and ChoTce- 
cherry Pies are all made in the same manner. Spread a thick 
layer of berries upon the lower crust ; sweeten to your taste, and 
sprinkle in a little flour. Slit a place in the middle of your up- 
per crust. Press tlie edges of the two crusts well together ; bake 
in a quick oven. Berry pies are generally so juicy that they do 
not cut well ; to obviate this difficulty, some persons add the beaten 
white of an egg to thicken the juice ; but a better way is to add 
a small quantity of rolled crackers. 

Prince Menzikoff", Prime Minister of Peter the Great, and at 
the time of his death, the richest subject in Europe, was originally 
a pastry-cook, a hawker of pies and cakes about the streets of 
Moscow, in which situation he attracted the attention of the Em- 
peror. 

Squash Pie. 

Take winter squash, boil soft, and strain it througli 

A sieve or colander, and add thereto, 

For every pint of squash, of milk the same ; 

Or what is better still, a pint of cream. 

Beat four eggs well ; add cinnamon for spice — 

Nutmeg is very good, though not as nice. 

12 



178 DINNER. 

Strain through a sieve, and thus remove 

Whatever there may be 
To offend the eye or palate 
Of yourself or company. 
A crust then prepare in a deep plate or dish, 
Bake well, and when cold, 'twill be all you can wish. 

Rhubarb or Pie-plant Pie. — Select the largest stalks, peel off 
the skin carefully, slice them fine, and when your under crust is 
prepared upon a plate, spread them over as full as for an apple 
pie. Spread a tea-cup of sugar, two table-spoons of water, and 
dredge a little flour over the whole, and, if you like, add bits of 
butter. Cover with the crust and bake. 

While warm, grate white sugar over it. 

Currant and Gooseberry Pies are made after the above rule 
for Ehubarb. By bottling the green gooseberries when at their 
full size, you may preserve them through the winter, and have a 
delicious gooseberry pie in the spring. (See receipt for bottling 
gooseberries.) 

An Ode to Gooseberry Pie. 

Gooseberry pie is best ; 
Full of the theme, muse, begin the song! 
What though the sunbeams of the West 

Mature within the turtle's breast 
Blood glutinous and fat of verdant hue ? 
What though the deer bound sportively along 
O'er springy turf, the park's elasticrvest ? 
Give them their honors due, — 
But gooseberry pie is best. 

■3<- -X- * * * 

Blow fair, blow fair, thou Orient gale ! 
On tlie white bosom of the sail, 

Ye winds, enamor'd, lingering lie ! 
Ye waves of ocean, spare the bark. 

Ye tempests of the sky ! 
From distant realms she comes to bring 

The sugar for my pie. 



PUDDINGS. 179 



First in the spring thy leaves were seen, 

Thou beauteous bush, so early green ! 
Soon ceased thy blossom's little life of love, 

safer than the gold-fruit-bearing tree, 
The glory of that old Hesperian grove, — 

No dragon does there need for thee, 
With quintessential sting to work alarms. 

Prepotent guardian of thy fruitage fine. 

Thou vegetable porcupine ! — 
And didst thou scratch thy tender arms, 

Jane, that I should dine ? 

The flour, the sugar, and the fruit. 
Commingled well, how well they suit ! 

And they were well bestow' d. 
Jane, with truth I praise your pie. 
And will not you, in just reply. 

Praise my Pindaric ode ? 

SOUTHET. 



PUDDINGS. 



There are four rules to be observed in all boiled puddings : 

1st. The bag or cloth must be soaked thoroughly in hot water, 
wrung and cooled, and the inside well dredged with flour, in or- 
der that the pudding shall not stick to the cloth when it is taken 
out. 

2d. The water in the pot must always be boiling when the 
pudding is put in, and continue boiling the whole time ; other- 
wise the water would soak into the cloth and make the pudding 
heavy. 

3d. As the water boils away, always replenish the pot from 
another kettle of boiling water. The tea-kettle is generally the 
most convenient and ready for use. 

4th. Never replenish with cold water, as that will make the 
pudding heavy. 



180 



DINNER. 



Boiled puddings are always the best wlien eaten directly after 
taking them up ; but if you have any left after dinner is over, it 
can be sliced and set in the oven to heat the next day, and will 
be good with hot sauce. 

English Plum Pudding. — Half a pound of beef suet, half 'a 
pound of raisins, half a pound of dried currants, one cup of sour 
milk, two-thirds teaspoon of saleratus, two eggs, half a nutmeg. 

Stone and chop the raisins ; the suet should be chopped very 
fine. Mix in sufficient flour. Some cooks prefer part bread- 
crumbs mixed with the flour to make it as stiff" as cake. Boil 
three hours. For sauce, stir together one cup of sugar, half a cup 
of butter, teaspoon of flour. Thin it with a glass of cold water ; 
boil tw^o minutes. After the sauce is taken from the fire, flavor 
it with wine or brandy to your taste. 

Previous to boiling your pudding, soak the pudding-bag 
thoroughly in hot water, then cool it, turn it inside out, and dredge 
it thickly with flour. Pour in your pudding, tie it up tightly, 
leaving room for it to swell, and put it in boiling water ; kee^D the 
water boiling all the time. As it boils down, pour in more from 
the hot tea-kettle. 



The proof of the pudding is in the eating." 



The French Prejudice Against Plum Puddings. — This na- 
tional dish of England has ever been viewed with disapprobation 
by the French, and in former days with decided aversion. Al- 
though the leading restaurateurs of Paris have it upon their cartes, 
it is seldom ordered by a Frenchman. 

One of the early French monarchs, desirous to treat the Eng- 
lish Ambassador with particular hospitality on Christmas Day, 
determined to have a plum-pudding at the entertainment which 
be gave to him. He accordingly procured an excellent recipe for 



PUDDINGS. 181 



making one, which he gave to his cook, charging him particularly 
to obey strictly all the directions. The weight of the ingredients, 
the size of the kettle in which it was to be boiled, the quantity of 
water, the length of time for boiling, were all attended to partic- 
ularly ; but one trifle was wanting : the king forgot the cloth, and 
the pudding was served up like so much soup in immense tureens, 
to the astonishment of the ambassador, who was, however, too well 
bred to express it. Louis XVIII. , either to show his contempt 
for the prejudices of his countrymen, or because it suited his pal- 
ate, always had an enormous plum-pudding served up on Chris- 
mas Day, the remains of which, when it left his table, he com- 
manded to be eaten by the servants, whether they liked it or not ; 
his commands, however, were not very strictly obeyed, except by 
the numerous English in his service. 

English Gooseberry Pudding [Boiled.) — Make a paste the 
same as pie-crust. Take a bowl or baking dish that has a rounded 
rim on its upper edge. Flour it ; line the bowl with the paste, 
lay in the green gooseberries, sweeten them, and cover the top 
with a crust rather thicker than the one inside. Wet a thick 
cloth thoroughly in hot w^ater, wring it, and dredge flour thickly 
on the inside. Tie it tightly over the top, fastening by the rim 
of the bowl. Set it then in a kettle of boiling water, and boil it 
an hour and a half. When served, turn it carefully out upon a 
platter, keeping the shape as much as possible. Use sauce simi- 
lar to that for plum-pudding, but flavored with nutmeg or other 
spice instead of wine or brandy. 

English Green Plum Pudding is made in tne same man- 
ner as the gooseberry. 

Boiled Raspberry Pudding, {or Blackberries.) — One pint of 
sweet milk, six table-spoons of flour, half a tea-spoon of salt, four 
and a half eggs, one pint of berries. Beat the yelks thoroughly. 



182 DINNER. 



stir in the flour, and add the milk slowly. Beat the whites of 
the eggs to a froth, and add the last thing. Your bag being 
floured, pour in half the batter, then lay in your berries (but if 
there be any juice to them, reserve that for the sauce). Then 
pour in the remainder of the batter, allow room for the pudding 
to swell, ancT tie the bag tightly. Boil two hours. Make a 
sauce of one cup of sugar, half a cup of butter, and half a tea- 
spoon of flour, well mixed together, thinned with boiling water ; 
boil it a minute ; take it up, add the juice of the raspberries, and 
grate nutmeg over it. 

" King Arthur's Pudding." 

( Old EnglisJi.) 

" Wheu good King Arthur ruled this land. 
He was a goodly king ; 
He stole three pecks of barley -meal. 
To make a bread-pudding. 

" A bag-puddiug the king did make, 
And stuffed it well with plums, 
And in it put great lumps of fat, 
As big as my two thumbs. 

" The king and queen did eat thereof. 
And noblemen beside, 
And what they could not eat that night, 
The queen, next morning, fried." 

Apple Dumplings. — Quarter and core one apple for each 
dumpling ; then put the parts together, with sugar in the middle ; 
surround each apple with pie-crust ; if you wish to bake them, 
put them on a pan, like biscuits, and set them in the oven. If 
boiled, tie each in a separate cloth, and boil in half an hour. 
Serve, both baked and boiled, with liquid sauce. 



An apple that ripens late, keeps long." 



PUDDINGS. 183 



English Roly-Poly Pudding. — Make a paste like pie-crust, 
roll it out on the bread-board, about a third of an inch thick ; 
spread over it jelly or sweetmeats ; then commence at one end 
and roll it over and over, till it forms a long, round roll ; tie it 
in a cloth ; boil one hour ; serve with liquid sauce, flavored to 
your taste. 

Boiled Potato Pudding. — Boil and mash fine six or eight 
good potatoes. Add butter the size of an ^gg. A sprinkling of 
salt. Then add a beaten egg to the potatoes. Mix as much 
flour to it as will stiffen it, like short-cake dough. Spread a thick 
cloth on your bread-board, sift flour over it ; then lay your dough 
upon it, and roll it out to about half an inch in thickness. Slice 
as many sour, juicy apples upon the dough as it will enclose. 
Bring the edges of the dough together over the apples ; then tie 
up the cloth tight, and drop into boiling water. Boil one hour ; 
eat it with sweet sauce, flavored to your taste. Always serve hot. 

Dr. Johnson said, " A man is, in general, better pleased when 
he has a good dinner upon his table, than when his wife talks 
Greek. My old friend, Mrs. Carter, could make a pudding as well 
as translate Epictetus from the Greek, and work a handkerchief 
as well as compose a poem." 

Boiled Corn Pudding. — One quart of corn meal, three quarts 
of milk, three eggs, one gill of molasses. Stir the meal and the 
milk together thoroughly, that no lumps remain ; add the eggs 
and molasses ; leave a good deal' of space in the bag for the pud- 
ding to swell, for this one swells very much. Boil three hours. 

Jessie'' s Corn Pudding. — One quart of milk, one pint of mo- 
lasses, three pints of corn meal, one tea-spoon of cinnamon. Boil 
the milk by itself, then pour it into a deep pan, and stir in the 



184 DINNER. 



other ingredients. Let the pudding boil steadily between three 
and four hours. Eat it hot, with butter and molasses. 

Rich Boiled Indian Pudding. — Three pints of corn meal, one 
quart of milk, half a pound of beef suet, half a pint of molasses, six 
eggs, a grated nutmeg, three or four sticks of cinnamon. Clean 
the suet from the skin and strings, chop it as fine as possible, and 
stir it into the corn meal. Boil the milk, with the cinnamon in 
it, till the former is highly flavored ; then strain the milk, boiling 
hot, into the corn meal and suet ; add the molasses ; stir the mix- 
ture very hard ; then set it away to cool, covering it lightly. 
When it is cold, add the eggs, well beaten, and grate in the nut- 
meg. Prepare a thick, square cloth, as in the preceding rules ; 
dredge it with flour, and spread it open in a deep dish. Pour in 
the mixture, tie it up very tightly, leaving about one-third of 
vacant space that it may have room to swell. Put the pudding 
into a large pot of boiling water, with an old plate at the bottom, 
and boil it six hours, turning it often, and replenishing the pot 
with boiling water from another kettle. Serve it hot, with wine 
sauce or with butter and molasses, or with a sauce of butter, 
sugar, lemon-juice, and nutmeg, beaten together to a cream. 

Date or Prune Pudding. — One quart of milk, six eggs, one 
pound of dates, four spoons of flour, two spoons of ginger. Beat 
the eggs, half the whites, in a cup of the milk. Mix with this 
the flour, ginger, and a little salt ; then add, gradually, the rest 
of the milk and dates ; tie it in a floured cloth, and boil it one 
hour. Serve either with liquid sauce or melted butter poured 
over it. 

The date-palm grows in Arabia, Egypt, and Persia, and many 
of the inhabitants of these countries subsist almost entirely upon 
its fruit. It is useful to them in other ways. Their camels feed 
upon the date-stone. From the leaves, they make baskets, bags, 



PUDDINGS. 185 



mats, couches, and brushes ; from the fibres of the boughs, thread, 
ropes, and rigging. From the sap is prepared a spirituous liquor, 
and the body furnishes fuel. The fruit grows in clusters on a 
thick, rope-like stem, and are tied up in bunches while ripening, 
to prevent their falling. Some of these bunches of clusters are 
said to weigh eighty pounds. At Medina, Arabia, there are six 
varieties of this tree, the fruit from each differing in flavor and 
size. This tree lives about two hundred years. It is said by 
the ancients to have abounded in several parts of the Holy Land, 
though now they are rare, and only useful for shade. David 
speaks of "flourishing like the palm-tree." On several coins of 
Vespasian, Judea is typified by a disconsolate woman sitting 
under a palm-tree. Jericho is called the " city of palm-trees." 
The palm was borne by the ancients as an emblem of victory. 
Its erect, stately form, originated the idea of columns in archi- 
tecture. 

Sago is obtained from the palm of that name, which grows in 
the East Indies. Young shoots are constantly springing up from 
the roots, and grow rapidly to maturity, when they are cut down. 
The pith is then removed, and by very simple processes it is ren- 
dered fit for food. 

Tapioca or Sago Pudding. — One pint of tapioca or sago, one 
quart of new milk, two eggs, half a pound of raisins or prunes, tea- 
spoon of salt, grated nutmeg. Wash the tapioca thoroughly, 
then put it in the milk, together with the salt. Set the dish con- 
taining them into a kettle of boiling water ; in this manner the 
tapioca will soak while the milk is heating, and both will boil 
together ; stir frequently during the boiling. Let it boil some 
time, until the tapioca is well softened and mixed with the milk. 
Then remove it from the fire ; beat the eggs, to which add sugar, 
according to your taste ; stir them then into the pudding. Pour 



186 DINNER. 

all into the baking-dish previously buttered, then drop in your 
fruit. Two table-spoons of sweet cream, or half a tea-spoon of 
butter, are added last. Grate nutmeg over the pudding, and 
bake immediately in a quick oven. This pudding is excellent 
with or without fruit. It should bake one hour. For sauce, in 
summer time use sweetened cream, flavored with vanilla, lemon, 
or whatever you like best, and serve it with the pudding, cold. 

Tapioca App>le Pudding. — Peel and core apples sufficient to 
lay around your baking dish in a circle, with one in the centre. 
After placing them, drop into each a teaspoon of sugar, a little 
butter, and a bit of orange peel. 

Prepare the same quantities of tapioca, milk, etc., as in 
the preceding rule, and in the same manner ; then pour it over 
and in these apples. Grate nutmeg over it, and bake one hour in 
a quick oven. 

This rule makes a large family pudding. 

Serve with hot liquid sauce of butter, sugar, etc., flavored to 
your taste. Two table-spoons of cream stirred into the sauce be- 
fore serving, gives it softness, and much improves its quality. 

Tapioca is obtained from a poisonous plant called manihot, a 
native of South America and West India Islands. The roots are 
peeled and pressed. The juice thus forced out is a deadly poison, 
but after standing some time, it deposits a white starch, which, when 
properly washed, is quite innocent. This starch is then dried in 
smoke and afterwards sifted, and is the substance from which 
Tapioca is prepared. 

Sago Apple Pudding [fa?' Invalids.) — Pare nice, juicy apples, 
force out the core, and set them in the bottom of a baking-dish, 
just enough apples to fill the dish. Take three table-spoonsful of 
sago, wash it, pour boiling water on it, stirring it while over the 
tire to thicken and boil. If it becomes too thick, pour more 



PUDDINGS. 187 



boiling water into it ; when sufficiently cooked, pour it over the 
apples and set them in an oven. Bake until the apples are 
done. It can be served hot with cream and white powdered su- 
gar ; if left until cold, it is very nice, and if inverted upon a dish, 
it will preserve its form. 

Baked Apple Pudding. — Six large apples well stewed, six 
eggs, a quarter of a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, one glass 
of wine. Bake it in a thin paste. 

Corn Starch Pudding. — One quart of milk, one tea-cup of 
starch, one teaspoon of salt, three eggs well beaten. Dissolve 
the starch in a little of the milk, putting the remainder on to boil. 
When boiling, take it off and stir in the starch first, then add the 
eggs. Turn it into forms, and serve cold, or bake it, which is an 
improvement. 

For sauce, beat cream and loaf sugar together, and flavor to 
your taste ; or make a rich sauce. It is to be eaten with fruit or 

jelly. 

This pudding is very convenient, as it can be made upon short 
notice. 

" Let not your table be coarsely heaped, but at once plentiful 
and elegant." 

Gipsey''s Pudding. — Cut stale cake in slices, and lay them in 
a pudding-dish. Wet them a little in wine. Boil a custard and 
pour over the cake. Let it stand until cold. 

Baked Batter Pudding. — Four eggs ; the whites and yelks 
beaten separately; one pint of milk, six table-spoons of flour, 
mixed until perfectly smooth with the yelks. Add a little salt ; 
turn in the milk and lastly the whites. Bake slowly one hour. 
Flavor the liquid sauce with currant jelly. 



188 DINNEK. 



Fannie' 8 Batter Pudding. — One quart of milk, four eggs, nine 
table-spoons of flour, a little salt. Bake half an hour. Sauce : 
sugar and butter, with brandy or wine. 



Fannie''s Cocoa-nut Pudding. — One quart of milk, five eggs, 
one cup of sugar, half a cocoa-nut, a little salt. ' Flavor according 
to taste ; lemon is excellent for this pudding. Bake half an 
hour. 

Guests on Washing-Day. 

Woe to the friend 
Whose evil stars have urged him forth to claim 
On such a day the hospitable rites ! 
Looks, blank at first, and stinted courtesy 
Shall he receive. Vainly he feeds his hopes 
With dinner of roast chicken, savory pie. 
Or tart or pudding; — pudding he, nor tart, 
That day shall eat ; nor, though the husband try 
Mending what can't be helped, to kindle mirth 
From cheer deficient, shall his consort's brow 
Clear up, propitious. The unlucky guest 
In silence dines, and early slinks away. 

3Irs. Barbauld. 



Peggifs Family Pudding. — Butter a deep baking-dish, and 
spread on the bottom a layer of fresh apple sauce, then slices of 
bread buttered on both sides, then apple again, and so on, until 
the dish is full, having the apple at the last. Pour over the 
whole a plain custard ; let it stand half an hour, then bake. To be 
eaten with liquid sauce. 

Baked Corn Meal Pudding. — One pint of corn meal, half 
a pint of molasses, one pint of milk, a quarter of a pound of but- 
ter, four eggs. The rind of a lemon grated, or one teaspoon of 
powdered cinnamon and nutmeg mixed. 

Sift the meal into an earthen dish ; after boiling the milk, pour 



PUDDINGS. 189 



it over the meal and stir them well together ; pour the molasses 
on the butter in another dish, and warm it by the fire until the but 
ter is soft ; then stir them well, and mix them with the milk and 
meal ; afterwards set the mixture in a cool place ; beat the eggs 
until very light, add to them the spice and lemon-peel. When 
the mixture is cold, pour the eggs into it, and stir the whole well. 
Put it in a buttered dish, and bake thoroughly. 

Serve it hot, and eat with a sauce of powdered white sugar and 
butter, seasoned with nutmeg and lemon or orange juice, stirred 
together to a cream ; or with a liquid sauce of melted butter, wine, 
and nutmeg. ■ 

This rule is for a small pudding. 

Cracked Wheat Pudding. — Two quarts of milk, five table- 
spoons of cracked wheat, t\vo eggs, sugar to your taste. 

Boil one quart of milk and sprinkle the wheat into it dry ; let 
it boil till quite soft. Set it away to cool. Then mix the eggs 
and sugar with the remaining quart of milk, and when the first 
is sufficiently cool, put them together, and pour it in pudding- 
dishes and bake. 

The Farina Pudding is made in the same way, except that 
four spoons of farina are sufficient. Serve with sweetened cream, 
flavored with nutmeg. 

Rice Pudding ivithout Eggs. — One gill of rice, one quart of 
milk, sugar and spice as you please, and a handful of raisins. 
Wash the rice very clean, and, if convenient, pour boiling water 
over it, and rinse it off. Boil the milk, and put to it the raisins, 
sugar, rice, and spice, and bake it several hours. Serve it with 
butter and sugar beaten to a cream and flavored, or with cream. 



Rice Pudding with Eggs. — Wash a quarter of a pound of the best 
rice ; put on the fire one pint of milk, with half a cup of fresh but- 
♦■-er ; bring it to a boil and then put in the rice, and let it be well 



100 DINNER. 



covered. Steam slowly for an hour without stirring it. It will 
then be well swollen, soft, and dry. Take it from the fire, empty 
it into another vessel, let it cool, and stir in two table-spoons of 
pulverized sugar, the yelks of six eggs, and the grated peel of a 
lemon, then mix in the white of the eggs, beaten to a stiff froth, 
and finish your pudding. It must be boiled for an hour and a half 
and served with one of the sweet sauces. 

Almond Pudding. — Six ounces of finely-pounded almonds, 
six ounces of powdered sugar, one tea-spoon of grated lemon-peel, 
a few drops of essence of lemon-peel, six whole eggs, and the 
yelks of two more. 

Beat the eggs well ; then mix in the other ingredients, and stir 
the pudding for a whole hour. Pour it into a buttered dish, and 
bake it three-quarters of an hour. A border of pufi'-paste around 
the edge of the dish improves it. 

Hominy Dessert Pudding. — Wash one pint of small hominy 
and boil it thoroughly; add one pint of corn-meal, eggs, milk, 
and butter. Bake on a griddle, and serve with butter and sugar, 
or syrup. 

Some prefer wheat flour in the place of the meal. 

" He that desires, wants as much as he that hath nothing." 

Hominy Pudding. — Boil half a pound of fine hominy in milk, 
add three-fourths of a pound of sugar, three-fourths of a pound of 
butter, six eggs, half a nutmeg, one gill of wine, a little grated 
lemon-peel. Bake in a dish. 

Baked Potato Pudding^ [Southern mode.) — Half a pound of but- 
ter, half a pound of sugar, one pound of potatoes, (boiled,) six eggs, 
spices to your taste of different kinds, one glass of wine, one glass 
of brandy and rose-water. Beat the butter and sugar to a cream ; 
then add the potatoes, eggs, etc. ; to beat the whites and yelks ot 



PUDDINGS. 191 



trie eggs separately, and bake as soon as you have added them to 
the other ingredients, will make the pudding lighter and nicer ; 
bake in paste, or not, as you please. 

Baked Potato Pudding^ (Northern mode.) — Boil your potatoes, 
and mash them nicely ; then to one pound of the same add the 
following : — One quart of milk, six eggs, half a pound of white 
sugar, one grated lemon. Bake about forty minutes. 

PumpMn Pudding^ {^Southern mode.) — One pound of butter, 
one pound of sugar, eight eggs, one glass of wine, cinnamon and 
cloves to suit your taste. Boil the pumpkin and strain it through 
a colander ; beat the butter and sugar to a cream ; add the yelks 
of the eggs and sufficient pumpkin to it to thicken it, afterwards 
the beaten whites, the wine and spices ; to be baked in a paste, or 
without, in a deep dish. 

Orange Pudding, (Southern mode.) — Boil the rind of six oranges 
in different waters till very tender ; take off the white of the skin, 
and beat the peel in a mortar, with three-quarters of a pound of 
sugar, till quite smooth; put it away in a jar for use ; take of this 
conserve two table-spoons, the yelks of three eggs, one large table- 
spoon of butter, and a small quantity of milk or cream. Put this 
in a rich paste and bake it. 

Another Orange Pudding. — Grate the yellow part of the 
rind, and squeeze the juice of two large, smooth, deep-colored 
oranges, half a pound of butter, and half a pound of white sugar, 
stirred together to a cream ; add one wine-glass of mixed wine 
and brandy ; beat very light six eggs, and stir them gradually 
into the mixture ; put all into a butter dish, with a broad edge, 
around which lay puff-paste neatly finished ofi"; bake half an 
hour, and when cool, grate white sugar over it. 

Lemon Pudding can be made in the same manner. 



192 DIISTNER. 

Lady Bustle's Orange Pudd'mxj. — " She makey an orange pud- 
ding, wliic'li is the envy of all the neighborhood, and which she 
has hitherto found means of mixing and baking with such secresy, 
that the ingredient to which it owes its flavor has never been dis- 
covered. 

" She, indeed, conducts this great affair with all the caution 
that human policy can suggest. It is never known beforehand 
when this pudding will be produced ; she takes the ingredients 
privately into her own closet, employs her maids and daughters 
in different parts of the house, orders the oven to be heated for a 
pie, and places the pudding in it with her own hands ; the mouth 
of the oven is then stopped, and all inquiries are vain. 

" She has, however, promised her daughter Clorinda, that if she 
pleases her in marriage, she shall be told the composition of the 
pudding without reserve." — De. Johnson. 

Bread and Butter Pudding. — Cut the bread in thin slices, 
butter them, and put a layer into a well-buttered dish ; strew cur- 
rants, raisins, and citron, or sweetmeats over it ; then another 
layer of bread and butter, then fruit, and so on, until the dish be 
filled ; beat six eggs Avith one pint of milk, a little salt, nutmeg, 
one sjDOon of rose water ; sweeten to taste, and pour it over the 
whole ; let it soak one or two hours before baking ; bake half an 
hour. 

JeUg Pudding. — Cover the bottom of a deep baking-dish 
with rolled cracker-crumbs, spread currant jelly over them in a 
layer, then a layer of crumbs, then jelly again, until the dish is 
full, with the crackers on the top. Pour a custard over all and 
bake. Serve with liquid sauce. 

Apple Dessert Cake. — Mix a batter with sour milk, wheat 
flour, a little saleratus, and salt ; heat and butter your griddle ; 
turn on the centre of it butter enough to make a cake the size of 



PUDDINGS. 1 93 



a large plate ; turn, and when clone, take it up on a large plate ; 
butter it, and spread fresh apple-sauce over it while another is 
baking, which lay upon it, doing, as before ; thus continue until 
you have a number, and your pile is a finger in depth. In serv- 
ing, grate sugar over the top, and cut down through the whole 
like cake. Any preserve may be used instead of the apple ; also 
currant jelly ; thus, a variety in the dish may be easily attained. 
It is nice eaten with maple syrup, or a sauce as for puddings. 

Extempore Apple Pudding. — If you have any stewed apples, 
boil one pound of rice, and when it is hot, stir in three or four 
table-spoons of the apples, two ounces of butter, half a pound of 
sugar, and a teaspoon of powdered cinnamon. Serve it hot with 
sauce of butter and sugar beaten to a cream, with nutmeg grated 
over it. The above pudding can be varied, by stirring in berries, 
jelly, or any other stewed fruit, instead of the apples. 

S)iow Rice Cream. — Put in a stew-pan four ounces of ground 
rice, two of sugar, a few drops of the essence of almonds, or any 
other essence you may prefer, with two ounces of fresh butter; 
add a quart of milk ; boil from fifteen to twenty minutes, till it 
forms a smooth substance, though not too thick ; then pour it in 
a mould previously buttered ; when cold, it will turn out like 

jelly. 

" In Burgundy, at Christmas time, while the yule log is burn- 
ing, and the family, seated about, sing Christmas carols, the 
youngest child is sent into the corner to pray that the yule log 
may bear him some sugar-plums. Meanwhile, little parcels of 
them are placed under each end of the log, and the children come 
and pick them up, believing in good faith that the great log has 
jjorne them." 

Isabella Cream. — One ounce of isinglass, dissolved in half 
13 



194 DINNER. 

a pint of boiling water. After straining* it, add one quart oi 
cream, and stir until it boils. One teacup of crashed sugar is 
now put in, and the mixture a little cooled, when the beaten 
yelks of six eggs are gradually added, together with one glass of 
wine. The whole should be strained, and stirred until almost 
cool, when it may be turned into a mould. This is a handsome 
dish., as the yelks of the eggs gives a tine rich color. 

Bohemian Cream. — Take four ounces of any fruit Avhich has 
been stew^ed soft and cooked with sugar; pass this fruit through 
a sieve, and add then an ounce and a half of melted isinglass 
to half a pint of the fruit ; mix it well, wdiip up a pint of cream, 
and add the fruit and isinglass gradually to it ; put it into a 
mould ; let it set on ice or in any cool place, and when ready, 
dip the mould into warm water, and turn out. 

White Cream. — Put into a basin a quarter of a pound of 
sugar, one gill of pale brandy, and one and a half ounces of melted 
isinglass, or calf's foot ; stir it well, and add a pint of whipped 
cream. Other liquors may be added, in which case put in less 
sugar. Put it in a mould, and proceed as above. 

Curds and Cream. — Put as much rennet into rich sweet milk 
as will set it. When the curd is formed, take it up carefully with 
an egg-spoon, draining off the whey ; lay it in a deep dish, and 
surround it with cream ; eat it with powdered sugar. This Arca- 
dian dish nuist be made with judgment, lest the curd be hard. 

Almond Cream. — Blanch a pound of almonds, jiound them 
fine, and mix them with a quart of cream ; sweeten and freeze it. 
The kernels of the ct)nunon black walnut prepared in the same 
way make an excellent cream. 

Ice Cream. — One (piart of milk or cream to three eggs. Scald 
the eggs and milk, but do not lot it boil. If vou use cream, scald 



PUDDINGS. 195 



first the eggs with a little milk, and add the cream afterwards. 
Sweeten and flavor to your taste, and then freeze. 

Ice Cream wUhout JEggs, {very nice.) — One quart of milk, three 
spoonsful of corn starch. Let the mixture boil for one hour ; 
whip one quart of cream, and add to it ; sweeten and flavor to 
your taste. 

The color of this ice-cream is not as rich as where eggs are used, 
but, if properly frozen, the flavor is equally good. 

Masser's patent ice-cream freezer is highly recommended to 
housekeepers, as by its use much time and labor are saved. 

Lemon Cream. — Pare the yellow rind of four lemons; put this 
rind into one quart of fresh cream, and boil it ; squeeze and drain 
the juice of one lemon, saturate it completely with powdered 
sugar, and when the cream is quite cold, stir it in ; take care 
that it does not curdle ; if not sweet enough, add more sugar. 

Flummery. — To one cup of jelly, one cup of cream, and half 
a cup of wine ; boil fifteen minutes over a slow fire, stirring it all 
the time ; sweeten it, and add a spoonful of orange or rose-water ; 
cool it in a mould, turn it into a dish to serve, and pour around it 
cream flavored with any thing you like. 

Cocoa-nut for Dessert. — Grate a cocoa-nut very nicely, add 
powdered sugar, until very sweet ; serve with cream. 

Charlotte de Russe. — One pint of milk, the beaten yelks of 
four eggs, and half a pound of white sugar. Soften orre ounce of 
isinglass in cold water ; when it is soft, add it to your milk and 
eggs, letting it get thoroughly dissolved. Put the whole upon 
the stove, but only to get a good heating, to scald, but not to 
boil. 

Have one quart of flavored cream whipped to a froth, and stir 
it into the previous preparation, when that has begun to thicken. 



196 DIIOfEK. 

Line your mould with pieces of cake stuck together with the white 
of an egg. 

For the cake, this rule is very good : Two-thirds of a cup of 
butter, half a cup of milk, two cups of sugar, four cups of flour, 
four eggs, one teaspoon of cream-of-tartar, half a teaspoon of 
soda. Bake in shallow pans or plates, as for jelly cake. 

" Ne'er speak ill o' them wha's bread ye eat." 

Spanish Charlotte. — Place crumbs of stale cake on the bottom 
of your pudding-dish, pare tart apples, or any other acid fruit, and 
put a layer over your cake crumbs. Continue them alternately until 
the dish is nearly full, making the cake crumbs form the top. 
Pour a custard over it and bake it. Serve wdth a sauce of sweet- 
ened cream, or butter and sugar flavored with wine or brandy. 

Mother'' s Custard. — One quart of milk, eight eggs ; sweeten to 
taste, then strain the custard. Flavor with vanilla, lemon, or 
rose-water. Butter the cups, and after pouring the custard into 
them, grate nutmeg over them. Set the cups in a baking-tin, 
pour boiling water into it to the depth of an inch, and then bake. 
They bake in fifteen minutes if the oven be of firm heat. Try 
them by inserting the smooth handle of a spoon, which comes out 
clear when they are baked. 

Potato Blanc-mange. — To one cup of potato meal, take eight 
cups of sweet milk. First mix the meal well with two or three 
spoonsful of the cold milk ; the rest of the milk being scalded, stir 
it into it, let it boil a short time, flavoring to your taste ; then cool 
it. If the juice of raspberries, currants, or especially cranberries, 
be used instead of milk, a jelly is formed which makes an elegant 
addition to the table. 

A Southern TriJle.—rTake the weight of four eggs in pow- 
dered sugar, and the weight of two eggs in flour, to which add one 



JELLIES. 197 

teaspoonful of rose-water, and two table-spoonsful of Madeira 
wine. Beat tlie whites of four eggs until they froth, and the 
yelks of the same with your flour and sugar until quite light. 
Then mix all well together, put it into an earthen dish, and in seven 
or eight minutes it will be baked. Have your baking-dish well 
buttered. 

Lemon Kisses. — Take the well-beaten whites of four eggs, 
stiffen with powdered sugar, and flavor with lemon. Drop spoons- 
ful of the mixture, at regular distances, on a well-buttered white 
paper. Set the paper on the bottom of your oven, and in a min- 
ute they are done. This quantity will fill a cake basket. 

A Delicate Dessert. — The whites of six eggs well beaten. 
Add currant jelly, and beat it until well colored. To be eaten 
with sweetened cream. 

Here, as I steal along the sunny wall, 

Where autumn basks, with fruit empurpled deep, 

My pleasing theme continual prompts my thought ; 

Presents the downy peach, the shining plum. 

The ruddy, fragrant nectarine, and dark, 

Beneath his ample leaf, the luscious fig. 

The vine, too, here her curling tendrils shoots, 

Hangs out her clusters glowing to the south. 

And scarcely wishes for a warmer sky. 

Thomson. 



JELLIES. 



Apple Jelly. — After paring and coring your apples, nearly 
cover them with water, and stew until they are soft ; then mash 
them, turn the whole into a thick strainer, squeeze out the juice, 
measure it, and strain it through another cloth ; to every pint add 



1 98 DINNER. 

ji poiiiul of white sugar ; stir it well together aiul })ut it over the 
fire to simmer, or boil slowly ; soak a small pinch of saftVon in a 
little water, and strain the liquid into the previous mixture, stir- 
ring it thoroughly in, that it may give a handsome straw color to 
your jelly. After the latter has boiled slowly lifteen or twenty 
minutes, during which time you remove the scum, try it by drop- 
ping a spoonful of it into a cup of cold water ; if it settles on the 
bottom, it is a token that it is sufficiently cooked. 

Take it up in cups, bowls, or glasses, which nnist stand in a 
warm, dry place, such as in the sun or a moderate oven, until 
the jelly appears to harden a little ; then cut paper the size of the 
top of the jelly, lay it down upon the surface, and outside of these 
and over the edge of the cups, paste paper tight, in order to ex- 
clude the air. 

Crah Apple JeJhj is made after the preceding rule. 

Four Fruit Jelly. — Take equal parts of ripe strawberries, 
currants, raspberries, and red cherries. All should be fully ripe. 
The cherricsmust be stoned, taking care to save the juice that runs 
from them when stoning. Mix the fruit together, put it in a linen 
bag, squeeze it then into an earthen vessel, and measure the juice. 
To one pint of the juice, add one pound and two ounces of sugar. 
If you use powdered sugar, you must take a pound and a quarter, 
as it is inferior in sweetness. ]\Iix the juice and sugar together, and 
boil twenty minutes over a moderate tire. Take it up in small 
bowls or cups, and after standing twenty-four hours in a dry, 
warm place, paste it up tightly so as to exclude the air. 

Grape and Cranhernj Jellies are made in the same manner 
as currant. 

The grape is a native of Asia. When the Israelites sent spies 
to look at the promised land, they found there grapes, and brought 
awav with them a cluster. 



JELLIES. 199 

The pomegranate was the favorite device of Catharine of Ar 
ragon. This fruit is so called from "pomme" and "granate," 
which signifies " apple of Granada." Granada was conquered by 
her parents, Ferdinand and Isabella. 

Currant Jelly. — Pick the currants on their stems, and, if they 
are dusty, Avash them carefully, and lay them on plates to drain 
over night. In the morning, put them in a stone jar, and set the 
latter in a kettle of cold water, over the fire. Let them 
boil an hour or more, pour them then into a thick cloth strainer 
(flannel is the best), and squeeze them. Strain the juice again 
through another cloth. To one pint of this juice add one pound 
of white sugar. Stir the sugar to dissolve it well in the juice, and 
then boil it twenty minutes ; skim it clear, and pour it into small 
bowls, cups, or glasses. It thus keeps better than if in a large 
quantity, since after a jar is opened, the jelly soon wastes or 
spoils, and it is better to open only as much as will be used im- 
mediately. When the jelly is w^ell formed in the dishes, which 
requires at least twenty-four hours, lay white paper cut to fit the 
dish, close upon the surface ; then paste paper over all tight, and 
label the cups. Keep them in a cool, dry place. 

Sometimes it is well to set the cups of jelly, while it is form- 
ing, into an oven moderately warm, leaving the door of the oven 
open. Either this mode, or setting it in the sun, is necessary. 

How to save Currant Juice when, from bad Management, it 
will not form into a Jelly. — Many persons, by some mismanage- 
ment, cannot bring their currant juice into a jelly. It is a per- 
fectly simple process, and common care and attention are alone 
necessary to success. But since mistakes do occur, and may, even 
with the most careful, for housekeepers are subject to many in- 
terruptions while engaged in these nice matters of cooking, it is 
well to know how to remedy these errors. To save the juice, then, 



200 DINNER. 



add to It iH'd raspberries in such quantity as can easily cook in 
the juice. l>oil them together, and they will form an excellent 
preserve. 

Green Currant Jelly. — Jelly can be made of green currants 
in the same manner as from the ripe (mes. To give it a fine color, 
stain it with strawberry juice ; it is nice of its own color, but not 
equally handsome. Tiiis jelly is said to be delicious. 

Blaeh Currant Jelly is a very efficacious remedy in cases of 
sore throat, (piinsy, etc. 

Currants are so called from Corinth, near which city they 
grow. They tlourish also in some of the Ionian islands, and upon 
the shores of the Teleponnesus. They grow upon a vine, and re- 
send)le very nearly the grape, both in leaf, form, size, and manner 
of growth, '.rhe name is corrupted in all European languages, as 
well as our own ; in German they are called Corinthen ; in French 
Raisins de Corintlie. 

Calfs-Foot Jelly. — Boil four calves-feet, which have been 
previously cleaned nicely. When boiled to pieces, strain the 
liquor, and when cold, take all the grease off from it, and put the 
jelly into your preserving-pan or kettle, taking care to avoid the 
dregs ; there should be from these feet about two quarts of jelly. 
Add to it one quart of white wine, the juice of six fresh lemons, 
one and a half pound of powdered sugar, a little cinnamon and 
mace, and the rind from two of the lemons. Wash eight eggs 
very clean, whip the whites to a froth, and add them with the 
shells to the jelly to purify it ; after Avhich, set the kettle over the 
fire; stir it occasionally until the jelly is melted; when it has 
boiled till it looks quite clear on one side, and the dross accumu- 
lates on the other, take otf carefully the hitter, and pour the jelly 
into a bag ; the bag should be made of cotton or linen, and sus- 



JELLIES. 201 

I)ended in a frame made for the purpose ; pour the jelly back until 
it runs through quite transparent ; then set under it your forms 
into which it will run, and do not stir it while it is hardening. 
The feet of hogs make a very pale jelly ; those of sheep make it 
of a beautiful amber color. 

Chicken Jelly ^ {for invalids.) — This jelly, which is invaluable 
for invalids, can be prepared best after the following manner ; 
it will then retain all its nutritious qualities : — Take a chicken, 
fresh killed, and after it is washed and dressed, crack all the 
bones ; lay it then in a stone jar, cover it with a paste of flour 
and water, forming a crust ; set the jar in a kettle of water, and 
let it boil four hours ; take it oflf, strain the liquid, and when it 
cools, remove the fat from the top, and flavor the jelly with Ma- 
deira wine. 

Dried Apple Jelly. — Take a quarter of a peck of diied apples, 
wash them well, and let them soak over night in about two quarts 
of water ; boil them in the same water until they are very soft ; 
about a quarter of an hour before you take them up, throw in two 
or three sticks of cinnamon ; strain the whole through a flannel 
bag, and to every pint of juice, take one and a half pound of loaf 
sugar ; boil it until it jellies, which you ascertain by trying a lit- 
tle in cold water ; take it off, and when nearly cold, put in ten 
drops of the fresh essence of lemon, (or fifteen, if you are particu- 
larly fond of it,) put it into moulds, and set it away to cool, if in- 
tended for immediate use ; or put it into tumblers or cups, and, 
when hardened, paste over it thick white paper. This jelly is 
nice, and has baffled the sagacity of many discriminating persons 
to ascertain its constituent parts. 

Wine Jelly. — Cut up an ounce of isinglass, and let it soften an 
hour or two in cold water ; then drain off the water, and poui 
over the isinglass one quart of boiling water ; when this has 



202 DINNER. 

dissolved, strain it tliroiigli a napkin, and sweeten to your 
taste; pour it into a small brass kettle, and set it on the stove 
to "boil, carefully skimming ^vitll a silver spoon. After it has 
boiled a few minutes, take it otf, and when nearly cold, flavor 
with one gill of brown sherry wine, and pour into the moulds. 

A no/her Wine Jvlhj. — One ounce of isinglass, one quart of 
water, the whites of two eggs beaten, the juice of one and a half 
lemon, the peel of one lemon, table-spoon of cinnamon, teaspoon 
of mace, half a pound of loaf sugar. ^Mix them all together ; boil 
five minutes; add half a pint of wine, and strain through a flan- 
nel bag while hot. 

A}ypJe Florentine, (an old C/irishnas dish.) — This apple 
florentine consisted of an immensely large dish of pewter, or such 
like metal, filled with good baking ap2)les, sugar, and lemon, to 
the very brim, with a roll of rich paste as a covering — pie fashion. 
When baked, and before serving up, the " upper crust " was taken 
olf by a skilful hand, and divided into sizeable triangular por- 
tions or shares, to be again returned into the dish, ranged in 
formal order round, by way of garnish ; when, to complete the 
mess, a full quart of well-spiced ale was poured in quite hot. This 
dish was an ancient dainty, much used in Christmas entertain- 
ments fifty years ago, and of which all of tlie guests invariably 
partook. — Wm. Hone's Every Daij Book. 

It was an old practice to stick apples with nuts, and to send 
either that or an orange stuck with cloves, as a Xew Year's gift. 
The apple is pleasantly associated with classic stories. It was a 
golden a2)ple that Paris gave to Venus when the rival goddesses 
contended upon Mount Ida for the prize of Beauty. 

. Macaroons. — Blanch one pound of sweet almonds, pound them 
in a mortar, with rose-water ; whip the whites of seven eggs to a 
strong froth, and add to them one pound of powdered sugar ; beat 



JELIMES. 203 

it some time, then put in the almonds ; mix them well, and drop 
them on sheets of buttered paper ; sift sugar over, and bake 
quickly. Be careful that they do not get discolored. 

Cocoa-nut Macaroons. — To one grated cocoa-nut, add its weight 
in sugar, and the white of one egg beaten to a froth ; stir it well, 
and cook it a little ; then wet your hands, and mould it into 
small cakes, laying them upon buttered paper, as above. Bake 
in a moderate oven. 

In France, during the reign of Henry III., it was the fashion 
for every person to carry about with him a comjit-hox. " All the 
world, the grave and the gay, carried in their pockets such a 
box, as we do snuff-boxes ; it was used on the most solemn 
occasions. When the Duke of Guise was shot at Blois, he was 
found with his comfit-box in his hand." 

" I, gentle readers, have set before you a table liberally spread. 
It is not expected or desired that every dish should suit the palate 
of all the guests ; but every guest will find something that he 
likes. You, madam, may prefer the boiled chicken with stewed 
celery, or a little of that fricandeau ; the lady opposite will send 
her plate for some pigeon-pie. The Doctor has an eye upon the 
venison — and so, I see, has the Captain. Sir, I have not forgot- 
ten that this is one of your fast days ; I am glad, therefore, that 
the turbot proves so good, — and that dish has been prepared for 
you. Sir John, there is garlic in the fricassee. The Hungarian 
wine has a bitterness which everybody may not like ; the ladies 
will probably prefer Malmsey. The Captain sticks to his Port, 
and the Doctor to his Madeira. There is a splendid trifle for the 
young folks which some of the elders may not despise ; and I 
only wish my garden could have furnished a better dessert, — but, 
considering climate, it is not amiss. Is not this entertainment 
better than if I had set you all down to a " round of beef and 
turnips % " — Southey's Doctor. 



204 



I>IXNER. 



TABLE HABITS AND PECULIAU DISHES OF 
VAKIOUS NATIONS. 

OLD ENGLISH LIVING. 

Come, help me to raiso 

Ix>ud songs to the praise 
Of good old English pleasures ; 

To the Christmas cheer. 

And the foaming beer. 
And the butter}''s solid treasures ; — 

To the stout sirloin, 

And the nch spiced wine, 
And the boar's head grimly staring ; 

To the frumenty 

And the hot mince pie. 
Which all folks were for sharing. 

To the hv>lly ami bay 

In their green array, 
Spread over the walls and dishes ; 

To the swinging sup 

Of the wassail-cup. 
With its toasted healths and wislies. 

OiJ Chritimat Song, 

The fuell'd chimney blazes wide ; 
The tankards foam, and the strong table gri>ans 
lU^neath the smoking sirloin, stretch'd immense 
From side to side, in which, with desperate knife, 
They de^^p incision make, and talk the while 
Of England's glorf. 



or amam 



Into the pasty plunged ; at intervals — 
If stomach keen c.in intervals allow— 
Relating all the glories of the chase. 

Thomson. 

The tables of the Enixlisli noMes and gentlemen of the feudal 
iays \\vre spread ^^ifh a lavish profusion; and abundance, 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 205 

rather than elegance, presided at their feasts. Surrounded by 
troops of retainers, they were compelled to furnish large supplies 
for daily, ordinary fare, and when these were increased on occa- 
sions of importance, the prodigious profusion appears to us most 
astonishino:, and can scarcely be credited in these davs of more 
moderate living. 

At one marriage feast alone, that of the Earl of Cornwall, 
thirty thousand dishes x^ere served up ; and at the marriage ol 
the Princess Margaret to Alexander the Third of Scotland, sixty 
fat oxen made only one article of provision for the feast. 

" They served up salmon, venison, and wild boars, 
By hundreds, and by dozens, and by scores. 
Ilogsheads of honey, kilderkins of mustard, 

Muttons, and fatted beeves, and bacon swine ; 
Herons and bitterns, peacocks, swan and bustard, 

Teal, mallard, piireons, widgeons, and. in fine, 
Plum puddings, pancakes, apple pies, and custard. 

And therewithal they drank good Gascon wine, 
With mead, and ale, and cider of our own ; 
For port, punch, and negus were not known." 

In the kitchen of Richard I., three hundred persons were em- 
ployed, and the queen had a like number to attend upon her ser- 
vice. During a famine the king entertained six thousand per- 
sons daily. He valued himself on surpassing in magnificence all 
the sovereigns of Europe, and lived as if he possessed inexhausti- 
ble treasures. 

Among the dishes which were in high favor at an early period, 
appear the crane and the peacock. 

It is told of William the Conqueror, that, when his prime 
favorite, William Fitz Osborne, who, as steward of the household, 
had charge of the curey, served him with the flesh of a crane, 
scarcely half roasted, the king was so highly exasi)erated that he 
lifted up his fist, and would have struck him, had not Eudo, who 



r-Jj 



206 DINISTER. 

was appointed steward soon after, warded off the blow. Tame 
cranes are said to have stood before the table at dinner, and 
kneeled and bowed the head when a bishop gave the benediction I 
The peacock, in particular, was considered, during the days of 
chivalry, not merely as an exquisite delicacy, but as a dish of 
peculiar solemnity. After being roasted, it was decorated with 
its plumage, and a sponge, dipped in lighted spirits of wine, was 
placed in its bill. When it was introduced on days of grand fes- 
tivals, it was the signal for the adventurous knights to take upon 
them vows to do some deed of chivalry " before the peacock and 
the ladies." The receipt for dressing the peacock " enkakyll," as 
this dish was called, is thus given : " Take and flay off the skin 
with the feathers, tail, and the neck and head thereon ; then tfike 
the skin and all the feathers and lay it on the table abroad, and 
strew thereon ground cummin ; then take the peacock and roast 
him, and baste him with raw yelks of eggs ; and when he is 
roasted, take him off and let him cool awhile, then take him and 
sew him in his skin, and gild his comb, and so serve him forth 
with the last course." To accompany this dish, we are told of 

** The carcasses 
Of three fat wethers bruised for gravy, to 
Make sauce for a single peacock." 

Sometimes the peacock was made into a pie, at one end of which 
the head appeared above the crust in all its plumage, with the 
beak richly gilt ; at the other end the tail was displayed. 

It was the unbroken custom to serve, at certain seasons, a 
particular dish first ; as a boar'^s head at Christmas, a (/oose at 
Michaelmas, a gammon of bacon or a red herring riding away on 
horseback at Easter. This last was a herring shaped by the cook 
after the likeness of a man on horseback, set in a corn salad. 
The custom of eating the gammon of bacon at Easter, originated 
in the desire to show an abhorrence of Judaism at this solemn 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 20? 



commemoration of our Lord's resurrection. Some of these prac- 
tices are still maintained in certain parts of England ; the boar's 
head is yet brought in as the first dish at the Christmas dinner 
at Queen's College, Oxford, as it has been for scores of years. It 
is borne into the hall to the principal table with great state and 
solemnity, the bearer singing to an old tune the followiner carol ; 

Caput Apri defero 

Beddens laudes Domino. 
The bore's head in hand bring I, 
With garlandes gay and rosemary, 
I pray you all synge merely, 

Qui estis in convivio. 

The bore's head, I understande. 
Is the chief servyce in this lande ; 
Loke wherever it be fande, 

Servite cum Cantico. 

Be gladde, lords, both more and lasse, 
For this hath ordayned our stewarde 

To chere you all this Christmasse, 
The bore's head with mustarde. 

The head was set upon its neck on the platter, with an apple 
or lemon in its mouth, and sprigs of rosemary in its ears and 
nose ; the platter was also garnished with the same, and with 
garlands. 

In Scotland the boar's head was also regarded with honor ; it 
was sometimes borne to the table, surrounded by little banners, 
displaying the colors and achievements of the baron at whose 
board it was served. The Spaniards, on the contrary, viewed it 
with abhorrence ; they ate the boar's flesh, but believed that to 
eat of the head would drive men mad, therefore they always 
burned it. 

Game pies were in great favor, as also herring and eel pies. 
Ancient receipts for making these pies are extant, among which 
we select the following as curious in its way, and because it haa 
been found to be excellent when used bv a modern cook : 



208 DINJS-ER. 

" For to mciTce a most choice 2'>ciste of Gamys, to he eaten at the 
Feast of Christmas^ (llith, Richard II., A. d. 1394.) — Take 
pheasant, hare, and chicken, or capon, of each one ; with two 
partridges, two pigeons, and two coningies ; and smite thera in 
pieces, and pick clean away therefrom all the bones that ye may, 
and therewith do them into a shield, or case of good paste made 
craftily into the likeness of a bird's body, with the livers and 
hearts, two kidneys of sheep, and seasonings, or forced meats and 
eggs made into balls. Cast thereto powder of pepper, salt, spice, 
and strong vinegar, or catsup, and pickled mushrooms ; and then 
take the bones and let them seethe in a pot, to make a good 
broth for it, and do it into the case of paste, and close it up fast, 
and bake it well, and so serve it forth ; with the head of one of 
the birds stuck at the one end of the case, and a great tail at the 
other end, and divers of his long feathers set in cunningly all 
about him." 

Plum-pudding and roast beef are proverbially the national 
dishes of England, and from the latter the Englishman boasts 
that he derives much of his strength and power of endurance. 
The mince-pie has always been a favorite, and, as well as the 
beef and plum-pudding, has had its praises rehearsed both in 
prose and poetry. 

The usual fare of country gentlemen, in Shakspeare's day, 
was "foure, five, or six dishes, when they have but small resort;" 
as when Justice Shallow invites Falstaff to dinner, he issues the 
following orders : " Some pigeons, Davy ; a couple of short-legged 
hens ; a joint of mutton ; and any pretty little tiny kickshaws, 
tell William, cook." 

But on feast days, the profusion and cost of the table were 
astonishing. Harrison observes, that the country gentlemen and 
merchants "contemned butcher's meat, and vied v.ith the no- 
bility in the production of rare and delicate viands." 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OP VARIOUS NATIONS. 209 



It was the custom in tlie houses of the country gentlemen to 
retire after dinner, which generally took place about eleven in the 
morning, to the garclen-bower, or an arbor in the orchard, in order 
to partake of the banquet or dessert. Thus Shallow, addressing 
FalstafF after dinner, exclaims, " Nay, you shall see mine orchard, 
where in an arbor we will eat a last year's pippin of my own 
graffing, with a dish of carraways, and so forth." From the ban- 
quet it was usual to retire to evening prayer, and thence to sup- 
per, between five and six o'clock ; for there were seldom more 
than two meals, — dinner and supper ; the supper, on days of fes- 
tivity, was often protracted to a late hour, and often was as sub- 
stantial as the dinner. The posset, at bedtime, was universal, to 
which Shakspeare frequently alludes. 

The carte, or bill of fare, was introduced about this period at 
the tables of the nobility ; for Harrison tells us, that " the clearke 
of the kitchen useth, (by a tricke taken up of late,) to give in a 
briefe rehearsall of such and so manie dishes as are to come in 
everie course throughout the whole service in the dinner or 
supper; which bill some doo call a memoriall, others a billet, 
but some a fillet, because such are commonly hanged on the 
file." 

None, we are told, presumed to touch the most dainty dishes, 
until they had first been offered to the principal personage at the 
table, after which, in due course, they were again passed down- 
ward, and were free to all. 

Quite an idea of the dinner arrangements in a nobleman's 
family in the 17th century, may be obtained from the orders of 
Lord Fairfax to his servants : 

" Dinner must be ready by eleven of the clock, prayers after 
tenne, and the orders observed, as is before said." 

" The usher must attend the meat, going through the hall 
crying, 'by your leaves, my masters.' Likewise, he must warn 
for the second course, and attend it as aforesaid. 
14 



210 DINJSTEE. 



" If any unworthy fellow do unmannerly set himself down be- 
fore his betters, he must take him up and place him lower. 

" Let the best-fashioned and apparelled servants attend above 
the salte, the rest below. 

'•If one servant have occasion to speak to another about ser- 
vice att the tables, let him whisper, for the noyse is uncivil. 

" If any servant have occasion to go forth of the chamber for 
any thing, let him make haste, and see that no more than twoe 
be absent. And for prevention of errand-s, let all sauces be ready 
at the door ; for even one messe of mustard will take a man's at- 
tendance from the table ; but least any thing happen unexpected, 
let the boy stand within the chamber-door for errants. And see 
that your water and voider be ready soe soon as meate is served 
and set on the table without. Have a good eye to the board 
for empty dishes and placing of others, and let not the board 
be unfurnished. 

" Let no man fill beere or wine, but the cupboard keeper, who 
must make choice of his glasses or cups for the company, and not 
serve them hand over head. He must also know which be for 
beere, and which for wine ; for it were a foul thing to mix them 
together. 

" Once againe let me admonish silence, for it is the greatest 
part of civility." 

We are much indebted to the " Diary of Mr. Pepys" for infor- 
mation respecting the culinary department of a private family at 
this period ; and as his minute account of various dinners cannot 
fail to be interesting to all housekeepers, we shall extract some 
portions of the same : 

"Jan. 26, 1659. — Home from my office to my lord's lodgings, 
where my wife had got ready a very fine dirmer, viz. : a dish of 
marrow bones, a leg of mutton, a loin of veal, a dish of fowl, three 
pullets, and a dozen of larks all in a dish ; a great tart, a neat's 
tongue, a dish of anchovies, a dish of prawns, and cheese. 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 211 

" December 2. — Home to dinner, where my wife and I were all 
alone to a leg of mutton, the sauce of which being made sweet, I was 
angry at it, and eat none, but only dined on the marrow bones." 

The next year he obtained an office under government, through 
the patronage of his cousin, the Earl of Sandwich, and says he is 
now " in a handsome and thriving condition." 

"February 25. — Went to Mr. Symon's, av ho was abroad, but she, 
Hke a good lady, within ; and there we did eat some nettle por- 
ridge, which was made on purpose for some of their coming, and 
was very good." 

June 5. — rHe speaks of eating botargo, a sausage made of 
eggs, and the blood of a sea mullet, with bread and butter, and 
drinking great quantities of claret. 

"December 1. — We had a good dinner; cut a collar of 
brawne, which proves very good, and also opened a glass of 
girkins, which are rare things." 

In 1660, he is invited to dinner parties, and begins to give 
them in return. 

"January 6. — To dinner at Sir William Penn's, it being a 
solemn feast day with him, — his wedding day ; and we had, be- 
side a good chine of beef and other good cheer, eighteen mince 
pies in a dish, — the number of years he has been married. 

" February 3. — Dined with Sir William Batten, with many 
friends more, it being his wedding day. Among other frolics, it 
being their third year, they had three ^:>ye5, whereof the middle- 
most was made of an oval form in an oval hole within the other 
two, which made much mirth, and was called the middle-piece. 
We had great striving to steal a spoonful out of it, and I remember 
Mrs. Mills, the minister's wife, did steal one for me, and did give 
it me ; and, to end all, one lady did fill the pie full of white wine, 
at least a pint and a half, and did drink it off for a health to Sir 
William and my lady ; it being the greatest draught that ever I 
did see a woman drink, in all my life." 



212 DINNER. 



March 26. — Having guests to dine with them, he says, "1 
had a j^retty dinner for them, viz. : a brace of stewed carps, six 
roasted chickens, and a jowle of salmon hot for the first course : 
a tansy, a kind of sweet dish made of eggs, cream, etc., flavored 
with the juice of tansy ; and two neats' tongues and cheese, the 
second. We had a man cook to dress dinner to-day. Merry all 
the afternoon, talking, singing, and piping on the flageolet." 

Visiting Southampton, he dines with the mayor, who gives 
him sturgeon, well ordered, and also caveare ; but he comj^lains 
that he could not dress it to his taste, for they had " neither given 
it salt enough, nor were the seeds of the roe broke, but were all 
in berryes." 

" July 5. — Had Sir William Penn, who I hate with all my 
heart, for his base, treacherous tricks, but yet I think it not policy 
to declare it yet, and his son, and two others, to my house to din- 
ner. I had a shoulder of venison roasted, another baked, and 
the umbles baked in a pie ; and all very well done. We were as 
merry as I could be in that company. 

" December 18. — Mr. Coventry invited himself to dinner, 
of which I was proud ; but my dinner being a leg of mutton and 
two capons, they were not done enough, which vexed me ; but I 
made shift to please him, I think, but when he was gone, was 
very angry with my wife and people. 

"January 6, 1662. — Bought a fine table for my dining-room 
that cost me eighty shillings. My poor wife rose by five o'clock in 
the morning, before day, and went to market, and bought fowles 
and many other things for dinner, with which I was highly 
pleased ; and the chine of beef was down also before six o'clock, 
and my own jacke, of which I was doubtful, do carry it very well, 
things being put in order, and the cook come. By-and-by, comes 
Dr. Gierke and his lady, his sister, and a she-cozen, and Mr. 
Pierce and his wife, which were all my guests. I had for them, 
after oysters at first course, a hash of rabbits and lamb, and a 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OP VARIOUS NATIONS. 213 



rare chine of beef. Next, a great dish of roasted fowle, (cost me 
thirty shillings,) and a tart, and then fruit and cheese. My din- 
ner was noble and enough. I had my house mighty clean and 
neat ; my room below with a good fire in it ; my dining-room above ; 
and my chamber, being made a w^ithdrawing chamber, as also 
my wife's, in which was a good fire. I find my new table very 
proper, and will hold nine or ten people well, but eight with 
great room." 

April 4. — He gave another dinner, when he says, that he 
" w^as very merry before and after dinner, and the more for that 
my dinner w^as great, and most neatly dressed by our own only 
mavde. We had a fricassee of rabbits and chickens, a les: of mut- 
ton boiled, three carps in a dish, a great dish of a side of lamb, 
a dish of roasted pigeons, a dish of four lobsters, three tarts, a 
lamprey pie, a most rare pie, a dish of anchovies, good wine of 
several sorts, and all things mighty noble, and to my great content." 

January, 1666. — He buys plate for his table ; invites Sir 
William Penn and others, and his vanity is gratified by " seeing 
them all gaze to see themselves so nobly in plate, and a neat din- 
ner indeed, in plate, but of seven dishes. " 

In April, 1667, he says, in speaking of a wedding at Sir 
William Penn's, that " they borrowed many things of my kitchen 
for dressing their dinner ! " which he pronounces a poor one. 

Another occasion. Sir William invites him and others to din- 
ner ; they " dined upon nothing but pigeon pyes, which was such 
a thing for him to invite all the company to, that I was ashamed." 

One of his home dinners w^as " a ham of French bacon boiled 
wdth pigeons, and a roasted swan, both excellent dishes." On 
another occasion, he speaks of a haunch of venison powdered and 
boiled, and a powdered leg of pork ; also a fine salmon-pie. 

In 1668, when preparing for a grand dinner, he says, " Home, 
and found one laying of my napkins against to-morrow^ in figures 
of all sorts, which is mighty pretty, and it seems it is his trade, 



214 DINNER. 

and he gets much money by it, and do now and then furnish 
tables with plate and linen for a feast at so much, which is mighty 
pretty, and a trade I could not have thought of." 

Of his grand dinner to the lords, which seems to have given 
him much satisfaction, he gives us the following account : " To 
the office till noon, when word was brought me that my Lord 
Sandwich was come ; so I presently rose, and there I found my 
Lords Sandwich, Peterborough, Lord Godolphin, and others. Af- 
ter greeting them, and some time spent in talk, dinner was brought 
up, one dish after another, but a dish at a time, but all so good ; 
above all things, the variety of wines, and excellent of their kind, 
I had for them, and all in so good order, that they were mightily 
pleased, and myself full of content at it; and, indeed, it was of 
a dinner, about six or eight dishes, as noble as any man need to 
have, I think — at least, all was done in the noblest manner that 
ever I had any, and I have rarely seen in my life better anywhere 
else, even at court. After dinner, my lords to cards, and tlie 
rest of us, sitting about them and talking, and looking on my 
books and pictures, and my wife's drawings, which they com- 
mended mightily ; and mighty merry all day long, with exceeding 
great content, and so till seven at night, when they took leave. 

" Thus was this entertainment over, the best of its kind, and 
the fullest of honour and content to me, that ever I had in my 
life." 

SCOTTISH HOSPITALITY. 

The Highlanders of Scotland formerly carried their hospital- 
ity to as great an extent as the ancient Celtie. It was 
their uniform practice to leave their doors open during the 
night, as well as the day, that any traveller might be able to avail 
nimself of shelter and entertainment ; and it is still remembered, 
that in later times the laird had his " latter meat table," daily 
spread for all who chose to partake of his liberality. 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 215 

It was said of O'Neil, that guests were in his house more nu 
merous than trees in the forest. 

Dr. Malloy relates, that one of his ancestors entertained nine 
hundred and sixty men, at Christmas, in his house Croghill. 

Xear Clodach Castle, an old seat of the MacSwineys, a stone 
was set up by the highway, on which was an inscription inviting 
all travellers to repair to the house of Edmund MacSwiney for 
refreshment. One of the family overturned this, perhaps for very 
substantial reasons, but it was well remarked, that he who did so, 
never afterwards prospered. 

At the burial of one of the lords of the isles, nine hundred 
cows were consumed. 

The Forbes of Culloden had a hogshead on tap near the hall- 
door for the use of all comers, and it is said there " was as much 
wine spilt there, as would content a moderate family." 

That such profusion was sometimes followed by a correspond- 
ing scarcity, may well be imagined ; and this undoubtedly gave 
rise to a practice which existed in the clan Armstrong. The 
chiefs lady, whenever her larder needed replenishing, served up 
on a huge dish before the hungry company of retainers, a ^^aw* 
of clean spurs, as suggestive of their duty. 

" After the last rites at the funeral of a Highland chief had 
been performed, one hundred black cattle and two hundred sheep 
were killed for the entertainment of the company. The feast must 
necessarily have been great where nearly the whole clan had at- 
tended, besides the neighboring gentlemen, attendance being often 
given as a mark of respect. The dinners were often in the church- 
yard. In England they were sometimes in the church itself." — 
Brande's Ant. 

At these funeral feasts, the nearest of kin presided at the cer- 
emonial, and etiquette usually obliged even the widow to lead the 
festivities, however painful her loss. Mrs. Murray speaks thus of 
a funeral jDreparation in the isles : 



216 DIXNER. 

" The deceased Lad been a respectable laird, but not very rich, 
yet there were six cooks for a week at the house, preparing the 
feast, towards which meat, fowls, fish, and game of all sorts, had 
been sent by the friends and relations." 

The rites of hospitality were practised to a ruinous extent by the 
poor Highlanders, who would keep their visitor until their stock 
of food was exhausted, when they carried him to the house of a 
neighbor, to whose care he was then resigned. " The visitors 
never depart so long as any provision doth last ; and when that 
is done, they go to the next, and so from one to one, until they 
make a round from neighbor to neighbor, still carrying the master 
of the former family with them to the next house." The generous 
islanders carried their charity to such an imprudent length, that 
many unprincipled persons frequented the Hebrides for the pur- 
pose of profiting by their bounty. At length, it became necessary 
for the chiefs to enjoin the people to bestow their alms on natives, or 
acknowledged objects of charity. The Scottish Parliament passed 
several acts by which " all travelling men, on horse or foot, were 
ordered to lodge in hostellaries, and thatnane other receive them." 

At Highland entertainments, the chief sat at the upper end 
of the table, and the chieftains and principal men of the clan 
were ranged on each side, in order of precedence, the commons 
being at the lower end. The best dishes were, of course, served 
to those who occupied the honorable end. 

On one occasion, an ancient lord of the MacDonalds had, by 
some mistake, been prevented from taking his place at the head 
of the table, which occasioned several remarks among the guests. 
On being told what engaged their attention, he exclaimed aloud, 
" Know, gentlemen, that where MacDonald sits, that is the head 
of the table." 

The famous Lord Lovat was a striking example of a genuine 
chief of the old school. 'About 1725, when he was actively en- 
gaged in raising his company, his manners, and the arrangement 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OP VARIOUS NATIONS. 217 



of his household, are thus described by one who volunteered in his 
service : " His lordship got up between five and six o'clock, when 
both doors and windows w^ere thrown open. Numbers of the vas- 
sals were about the house, and entertained at the chief's expense. 
The lairds sat towards the head of the table, aud drank claret 
with their host; next to these were seated the duinuassals (gen- 
tlemen), who drank whiskey punch ; the tenants who were beneath 
these, were supplied with ale, and at the bottom, and even out- 
side, a multitude of the clan regaled themselves with bread and an 
onion, or perhaps, a little cheese and table beer. Lovat, address- 
ing the second class, would say, ' Cousin, I told the servants to 
hand you wine, but they tell me ye like punch best.' To others, 
' Gentlemen, there is what ye please at your service, but T send 
you ale, as I know ye prefer it.' 

" It required good management to make a limited income 
sufficient for so liberal housekeeping, and some attention w^as ne- 
cessary to preserve the motley company in good humor." — Mem. oj 
Donald McLeod. 

The usual diet of the Highlanders of the present day, is milk, 
cheese, cream, butter, oat and barley cakes, mutton or goat's flesh, 
with potatoes. They have also a meal of peas, which they usually 
buy unground, and use with milk in bread and puddings. 

Brose is common in Scotland. It is sometimes simply oat- 
meal and hot water mixed together, to which butter is added ; but 
the oat-meal is commonly stirred in the water, in which meat, 
cabbages, and turnips have been boiled. The Highlanders are 
such a hardy race, and have such a contempt for delicacies in eat- 
ing, that even when surrounded with plenty, they are sparing in 
their diet. It is a fact that they will continue at laborious field 
work contenting themselv^es Avitli only two meals of water-brose. 

The famous Athole brose is a mixture of whiskey and honey 
with a little oat-meal. 

Brochan is similar to oat-meal gruel, but onions are frequently 



218 DINNER. 

added, and even pounded cheese. " Easoch," or thin brochan, is 
eaten with bannocks, and was the sole winter diet of thousands of 
Highlanders in time of scarcity. 

The Black Pudding of the rustics is made as follows ; several 
families unite in buying a cow, or other animal ; after it is killed, 
they fill the entrails with a kind of pudding-meat, consisting of 
blood, suet, groats, etc., which being formed into little sausage 
links, are boiled, and sent about as presents. These are called 
black puddings from their color. These puddings were popular 
in ancient Egypt ; the blood of animals was received into a vase 
and used for this purpose. 

Singed sheep's heads was an ancient homely dish of Scotland, 
as well as the Haggis, Tripe, and Black Pudding, which four are 
peculiarly national dishes. The Haggis is still so highly valued 
on this account, that it holds a prominent place at all national 
feasts, whether at home or in foreign lands. At the recent Burns 
festivals in Xew York and Boston, this dish, prepared and sent 
out from Scotland for the purpose, was tasted of by all the guests, 
and mentioned with honor. 

Burns' poem to the Haggis has immortalized it, and being one 
cause of its distinguished notice at the present day, we extract a 
portion of it: 

To A Haggis. 

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, 
Great chieftain o^ the puddin-race ! 
Aboon them a' je tak your place. 

Painch, tripe, or thirm ; 
Weel are ye worthy of a grace 

As lang's my arm. 

Is there that o'er his French ragout, 
Or oliOy that wad staw a sow, 
Or fricassee wad mak her spew 

Wi' perfect sconner, 
Looks down wi' sneering, scornful view 

On sic a dinner? 



Poor devil ! see him ovvre his trash, 
As feckless as a withered rash ; 
His spindle shank a quid whip lash, 

His nieve a nit ; * 
Thro' bloody flood or field to dash 

how unfit ! 

But mark the rustic, Tiaggis-fed, 

The trembling earth resounds his tread ; 

Clap in his walie nieve a blade 

He'll mak it whissle ; 
A.n' legs, an' arms, an' heads will sned 

Like taps o' thistle. 

Ye powers, wha mak mankind your care, 
And dish them out their bill of fare, 
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware 
That jaups in laggies; 
But if you wish her gratefu' prayer 



RECEIPT FOR A HAGGIS. 
To Mrs. W . 

BY MRS. GRANT OF LAGGAX. 

Though dull, and low, as vanquish'd flag is, 

I have not yet forgot your haggis. 

Could I but forward all your wishes 

For speedy voyage and Scottish dishes, 

I'd call a steady gentle breeze 

To waft you o'er the summer seas, 

And send the swiftest birds of air 

With freights of Caledonian fare 

Which, though 'twas neither rich nor rare, 

Would find a kindly welcome there. 

The pelican Avould not be lag, 

But bring a haggis in her bag ; 

The sulky heoded crow should bring 

Black pudding on his sooty wing ; 

The sea mew, mount on pinions light, 

And stock your board with puddings white ; 



* His fist a nut. 



220 DINNER. 



The swiftest wild goose of the flock 
Should bear a roasted bubbly jock ; * 
The eagle, loftj child of light, 
Should upward steer his steady flight, 
Beyond imperfect human sight, 
Then on your deck his bounty spread, 
Caller nowts feetf and sing'd sheep's head ; 
The gulls that skim innumerous by you, 
"With fish in sauce may well supply 3'ou. 
But why, when languid grown and old. 
With senses dull, and fancy coK , 
Should I thus waste my worn abilities, 
In dreams of mere impossibilities ? 
The plain, prosaic, short receipt 
To make a haggis fit to eat. 
Is better than poetic sham 
Like Schakkaba's pistachio lamb : — 

John Bull, amidst his venison haunches, 
May shudder at the sound of paunches, 
And say the lofty-minded Scot 
Feeds like a sordid Hottentot. 
But mark the odds. The Scotch gude-wife. 
With cleansing stream and scraping knife, 
So well extirpates all impurity. 
E'en John might feed in full security. 
When freed from every earthly soil, 
Your whole materials slightly boil ; 
The humblest and the noblest part 
Must mingle ; add the lungs and heart , 
When parboiled spread them on the dresser ; 
With knives, the greater and the lesser, 
Be sure to hack and hew them all, — 
They never can be minced too small. 
Of Scottish oatmeal, fresh and sound, 
Add something less than half a pound ; 
Then shred two Patagouian onions, 
The largest in the state's dominions ; 
High seasoning here is thought no fiiult — 
Then give a spoonful large of salt ; 
Of pungent pepper rather less ; 
In all things, best to shun excess. 



* Bubbly Jock— a turkey cock. f CaUcr nowts foot— fresh cow heels. 



And now, though rather late to do ii, 

I must remind you of the suet : 

A scanty pound may do for all, 

And pray be sure to mince it small 

With oatmeal, and your onions shred, 

And o'er the mingled entrails spread : 

The maw, when cleansed with scalding water 

And freed from each offensive matter, 

You must with anxious skill prepare, 

And fill the yawning bag with care ; 

For all ory poured in this receptacle 

To furnMi forth the goodly spectacle 

Of portly haggis, first in place, 

" Great chieftain of the pudding race ! " 

But mind, it must not, like your skull, 

Tie cramm'd of precious matter full ; 

For know, when filled and steaming hot. 

It feels the tempest of the pot; 

Proud of its new abode, it swells, 

'Gainst the imprisoning bag rebels. 

And bursting with impatient pride. 

Pours all its treasures from its side. 

Pray then this caution ponder well, 

And leave a space for room to swell. 

Then bid your kind gude-man be sure 

To shape and scrape a wooden skewer, 

And carefully adjust that pin 

To keep the boiling haggis in ; 

Two hours slow boiling o'er the fire 

Will make it all that you desire. 

Then on the board your haggis place, 

And bless it with decorous grace ; 

And having thus attain' d your aim, 

Fall to, in good St. Andrew's name. 

IRISH CUSTOMS. 

Four Kings at Dinner. — SirEichard Cristeed was appointed 
by Kichard II. to introduce English customs into Ireland, and lie 
thus describes the manners of the four kings at table : 

" I observed, as they sat at table, that they made grimaces 
that did not seem to me graceful or becoming, and I resolved, in 



222 DINNER. 

my own mind, to make them drop that custom. When they were 
seated at table, and the first dish served, they would make their 
minstrels and principal servants sit beside them, and eat from 
their plates and drink from their cups. They told me this was a 
praiseworthy custom of their country where everything was in com- 
mon, but the bed. I permitted this to be done for three days ; 
but on the fourth, I ordered the tables to be laid and covered prop- 
erly, placing the four kings at an upper table, the minstrels at 
another below, and the servants lower still. They looked at each 
other, and refused to eat, saying I had deprived them of their old 
custom, in which they had been brought up. Having explained 
to them that it would be neither decent nor honorable to continue 
it, they good-humoredly gave it up." 

Coshering Feasts of the Old Irish. — " Good bundles of straw, 
or in summer, green rushes were laid on the floor, on which the 
guests sat down, another bundle being shaken over their legs, on 
which were placed the dishes and meat. The rhymers sang, and 
the harpers played, whilst the company regaled upon beef, mutton, 
pork, hens, and rabbits, all put together in a great wooden dish. 
They had also oaten cakes, and great store of aqua vitse, without 
which it was not to be termed a feast." — Barnabij Riche. 

FKENCH ENTERTAINMENT. 

Hospitality was a virtue which the Gauls carried to the extreme. 

" Ariamnes, a wealthy Galatian, formed a resolution of enter- 
taining all his countrymen for a whole year, at his individual ex- 
pense, and he proceeded in this manner. He divided the roads 
throughout the provinces into convenient day's journeys, and with 
reeds, poles, and willows, erected pavilions capable of containing 
three hundred persons or upwards, and having the pre- 
ceding year employed artificers to fabricate caldrons, he placed 
them in these buildings, and kept them continually full of all sorts 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 223 

of flesh. Every day, many bulls, swine, sheep, and other cattle, 
were slain, and many measures of corn, and much barley meal, 
ready kneaded, was procured ; and all this was not confined to the 
inhabitants, but the servants were instructed to constrain all stran- 
gers to partake of the feast. The riches of the Gauls enabled 
them to indulge in very extravagant expenditure. A king of the 
Arverni inclosed a space of twelve furlongs, in which he had con- 
structed ponds filled with costly and delicious liquors. Stores of 
victuals, ready cooked, were also provided, sufficient for all who 
chose to partake of them, for many days." — Athenceus. 

" The Gauls, with singular delicacy, never asked the name of 
a stranger, what he was, or his business, until the entertainment 
was all over. 

" The plenty which filled the land was evinced by their well- 
supplied tables and continued feasting, which were the theme of 
even Eoman commendation. The Aquitani were famed for their 
sumptuous and frequent entertainments, and the Celtiberi were 
noted for being particularly nice and curious in their diet. 

" Strabo says, most of the Gauls took their meals sitting on 
rush beds or cushions. When a company could agree, they sat 
down to supper in a circle. In the middle sat he who was reck- 
oned most worthy, either from his rank or valor, and next to him 
was placed the person who gave the entertainment. The others 
were arranged, each according to his rank." 

Varro states, that the Gauls sent into Italy sausages, hog's 
puddings, and gammons of bacon, and that their bread, which 
was of superior quality, was supplied to the Romans for the pur- 
pose of yeast ; they also made excellent cheese, which was highly 
aromatic, and extolled as medicinal. Pastry is first mentioned in 
Charlemagne's reign. Thus they early made advances in the arts 
of cooking. Luxury, extravagance, and profusion increased in 
France until they reached their height in the reign of Louis XIV. 
At this period the entertainments were most sumptuous and magnifi- 



224 DINNER. 

cent, every thing being obtained whicli could charm the eye, or delight 
the sense. After his luxurious reign was over, a change gradually 
took place in the style of living. Elegance and taste, rather than 
profusion, became fashionable, and have reigned ever since among 
the French. Their skill in all the arts of the cuisine is world- 
renowned, it being universally conceded that they practise them 
in greater perfection than any other people. This skill, as well 
as their characteristic love of novelties, has enabled the French 
to add many new articles of food to their dietetic regimen. 
Among the most noticeable of these additions at the present day, 
are the frog, the snail, and last — very repulsive to English taste — 
horse-flesh. 

The first of these, the frog, which for a time was eaten exclu- 
sively by the French, and viewed with disgust and ridicule by 
other nations, is now becoming popular in other countries ; it is 
eaten to a considerable extent in England, America, and on the 
continent. A recent writer says, " I went to the market in the Fau- 
bourg St. Germain, Paris, and inquired for frogs. I was referred 
to the stately-looking dame at a fish-stall, who produced a box 
nearly full of them. The price fixed was a penny for two, and 
having ordered a dish to be prepared, the Dame de la Halle dived 
her hand in among them, and the legs, minus skin, still struggling, 
were soon placed on a dish. These were afterwards cooked at a 
restaurateur's, being served up fried in bread-crumbs, as larks 
are in England ; and most excellent eating they were, tasting 
more like the delicate flesh of the rabbit than any thing else 
I can think of." 

Snails have now become a very fashionable article of diet in 
Paris. The usual modes of preparing them for the table are either 
by baking, frying them in butter, or sometimes stufiing them with 
force-meat. In the Isle of Bourbon, they are made into a soup 
for the sick, by the French. 

There are now fifty restaurants and more than twelve hundred 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 225 

private tables, in Paris, where snails are accepted as a delicacy by 
thousands of consumers. The monthly consumption is estimated 
at half a million. The proprietor of one snailery, in the vicinity 
of Dijon, is said to clear nearly £300 a year, by his snails. 

In the provinces of France, where the vine is cultivated, snails 
of large size abound. They are gathered by the peasants, put in 
small pans for a few days, and salt water thrown on them, to 
cause them to discharge whatever their stomachs may contain. 
They are then boiled, taken out of the shell, and eaten with a 
sauce, and considered a luxury by the vine-dressers. But in what- 
ever manner they are dressed, it is said that their sliminess al- 
ways, in a great measure, remains. 

At the town of Ulm, in Wirtemberg, snails are fed in great 
quantities, for various markets in Germany and Austria, but es- 
pecially for that of Vienna, where they are esteemed a great del- 
icacy, after having been fed upon strawberries. 

The breed of large white snails is considered very nutritious 
and wholesome for consumptive patients, considerable quantities 
being sold in Covent Garden market, London, for this purpose. 

Among the pictures in the dressing-rooms at Chiswick House, 
the seat of the Duke of Devonshire, there is one, by Murillo, of a 
beggar boy eating a snail pie ! 

In Switzerland, where there are gardens in which they are 
fed in many thousands together, a considerable trade is carried on 
in them during the season of Lent ; and they are so valued at 
Vienna, that a few years ago, the same price was charged at an inn 
for seven of them, as for a plate of veal or beef. 

The favor with which the introduction of snails, as an article 
of food, has been received on the continent, proves their utility, and 
also the influence which French investigations and studies re- 
specting food, exert upon the neighboring nations. France, in 
this department, takes the lead as much as she does in the world 
of fashion ; and although we may not now view some of the dishes 
15 



226 DINNER. 

which she originates with approbation, we cannot ridicule them 
when we see that they afford subsistence and nourishment to the 
hungry multitudes of Europe. A French gastronomer, M. Brillat 
Savarin, says, "that the discovery of a neiv meat brings more 
happiness to the human race than the discovery of a star ; and 
truly, viewed in this regard, the French may be considered bene- 
factors to mankind. 

One of the latest gastronomic innovations at Paris is the use 
of horse-flesh. 

'•' Banquets of horse-flesh are at present the rage in Paris, Tou- 
louse, and Berlin. M. St. Hilaire, an eminent naturalist and pro- 
fessor of zoology, has written a treatise upon horse for food. He 
contends that, while animal food is absolutely necessary to the 
proper nourishment of the human race, millions of Frenchmen eat 
no animal food, and every year millions of pounds of excellent 
meat are wasted. 

" M. St. Hilaire pronounces this meat to be excellent, and cites 
the evidence of eminent men, who, having eaten it knowing what 
it was, declared that it was better than cow-beef, and some aver- 
ring that there was little difference between it and ox-beef. Ex- 
periments have been tried under three different conditions; first, 
the guests have known what they were going to eat ; secondly, 
they have been totally ignorant ; and, thirdly, they have been 
warned that they were going to eat something quite novel. Yet, 
we are told, the result has been the same in every case. 

"In 1841, horse-flesh was adopted as an article of food at 
Ochsenhausen and Wurtemberg, where it is now publicly sold un- 
der the surveillance of the police. At the lake of Constance, a 
large quantity of this meat is also sold. In 1842, a banquet of one 
hundred and fifty persons inaugurated its public use, at Konigs- 
baden, near Stuttgard. In 1846, the police of Baden authorized 
its public sale, and the year following, public horse-flesh banquets 
were held with great eclat at Detmold and Weimar. 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 227 



*' The innovation made rapid converts. At Vienna, in 1853, 
there was a riot to prevent one of these banquets, but in 1854, such 
progress had been made, that thirty-two thousand pounds weight 
were sold in fifteen days, and at least ten thousand of the inhabi- 
tants habitually ate horse-flesh. And now Parisian banquets of 
horse-flesh are common ! 

" The delight with which the French greet every thing new and 
eccentric, ai:)pears in great contrast with John Bull, who is 
resolved to eat, drink, and do only what he has been accustomed 
to. He wants ' none of your foreign kickshaws, frogs, and snails 
in fricassees, or sea-slug, or bird's-nest soup, or horse-flesh steak.' 

" It is almost impossible to get him to experiment upon a new 
kind of food, but under the mysterious manifestations of Grunter, 
Soyer, and other distinguished chefs de cuisine, many foreign 
articles of food have found their way to English tables." — Curi- 
osities of Food. 

A satirical writer in the London Magazine thus speaks of 
French cooks: — "It has long been the reproach of the French 
that they are not a poetical people. But, at least, their cooks are. 
Must not a cook be inflamed with the double fires of the kitchen 
and poetry, when he conceives the idea of fountains of love, 
{Puits d^ amour,) starry anniseed, (A^iis EtoiU,) capons' wings in 
the sun, [Ailes de pouJarde au Soleil,) eggs blushing like Au- 
rora ; (CEifs a VAurore.) I consider their beef in scarlet, (Boeuf 
a Vecarlate,) their sauce in half mourning, {sauce en petite deuil,) 
and their white virgin beans, [Haricots Vierges,) as examples of 
the same warm and culinary fancy. 

" Their ingenuity is sometimes shown in the invention of new 
dishes, as well as in the epithets they attach to them, — another 
poetical symptom. Thus, we have a dish of breeches in the royal 
fashion, Avith velvet sauce, ( Culotte a la Royale, sauce veloute,) 
— tendons of veal in a peacock's tail, ( Tendons de veau en queue 
de paon,) — and a shoulder of mutton in a balloon or a bag-pipe ! 



228 DINNER. 

[Epaule de onouton en ballon, en musette.) Sometimes their 
names are so fanciful as to be totally incomprehensible, especially 
if you look for them in a dictionary ; such as — a palace of beef 
in Cracovia, (Palais de boeuf en Cracovie,) — strawberries of veal, 
Fraises de veaii,) — the amorous smiles of a calf, {Bis de veaic en 
amourette,) — a fleet with tomato sauce, [Flotte, sauce Tomate,) — 
and eggs in a looking-glass, {(Eufs au miroir.^ 

" But there are many of their dishes which are monstrous, and 
show a strong tendency to cannibalism. Great and little asps, 
(Grand eti^etit aspie,) — fowls done like lizards, [Poulet en lezard,) 
— hares like serpents, (Lievre en seipent,) — and pigeons like toads 
or basilisks, {Pigeon a la Crapaudine, en basilic,) — are all fa- 
vorite dishes ; as are also a hash of huntsmen, {Salmi de chasseurs,) 
— a stew of good Christians, {Comp>ote de bons Chretiens^— a 
mouthful of ladies, {Bouchee de Dames,) — thin Spanish women, 
Espagnoles maigres,) — and four beggars on a plate, {Quartre 
mendians.) 

"They like liver of veal {Veau d Vetouffade,) and pullets like 
ivory, {Poulets a Vivoire.) Other dishes are, on the contrary, 
quite shadowy and unsubstantial ; such as an embrace of a hare 
on the spit, {Accolade de lievre a la Broche,) — partridges shoe- 
soles, {Semelles de Perdrix,) — the breath of a rose, {Souffle de rose,) 
— a whole jonquil, {line Jonquille entiere.) 

" The French have a way of serving up their dishes, which is 
as extraordinary as the rest. What should we think of whitings 
in turbans, {Merlans en turban,) — smelts in dice boxes, {Eperlans 
en cornets,) — a skate buckled to capons, {Raie bouclee aux cdpres,) 
— gooseberries in their shifts, and potatoes in their shirts, 
{Groseilles et pommes de terre en chemise.) 

" Should we not think any cook very filthy who should send up 
cutlets in hair-papers, {Cotellettes en p)a^P^^^otes,) — truffles in 
ashes, {Truffes a la cendre,) — and squirted seed-cakes, {Masse' 
pains seringues.) 



ABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 229 



" The military dispositions of the French are discoverable even 
in their cookery. They have large and small bullets, ( Gros ei 
petits boulets, — carbonades innumerable, {carhonades de moutoii^ 
etc.,) — syrup of grenades, {^Siro]) de grenades,) and quails in 
laurels, [Cailles mix lauriers.) 

*' The French boast that their language is the clearest in the 
world. I should like to know what they mean by a skate fried 
raw ! (Raie frite a cru,) or big little peaches, [Peches grosses- 
mignonnes") 

TABLE HABITS OF THE GEKMANS. 

We are indebted to C. L. Brace's " Home Life in Germany," 
published in 1853, for the following interesting account of the 
German meals among the middle classes of society : 

" The breakfast is always merely a cup of coffee and bread 
cakes, partaken of at an early hour. After this slight meal, the 
gentlemen go to their business, and the ladies to their household 
work, — and I have been surprised to observe in the various fam- 
ilies of my acquaintance, how much the ladies do of housekeeping 
work, and even of cooking. 

" At eleven or twelve, those of the family who are at home, 
meet again for ' lunch.' This is a moderately substantial meal 
of cold meat, bread and butter, preserves and fruit, with some 
light wine like Burgundy or claret. 

" Then at three o'clock comes the dinner, the great meal of the 
day, of course. With many of the business men, the same custom 
prevails as in our large cities and in England, of having the din- 
ner at five or six o'clock, after the business of the day. But three 
or four o'clock is the more general hour. The meal commences, 
according to the world-wide custom, with soup; then succeed 
roast meat and vegetables, and then, perhaps, fish and various 
30urses, to the number often of five or six, each course, however, 
being only a small dish, — and the remarkable thing about it all 



230 DINNER. 

being, that the fruits come in, in the middle of the courses, and 
the roast meats just before the end. The dessert, according to 
an English custom, and one which does not prevail in America, 
is bread with butter, or cheese. Tlie wines do not seem to be as 
varied as in ftimily dinners in England, being generally the light 
red wine, either of France or the Ehine, together with Teneritle. 
The last dish is always a cup of strong black cofiee. Of course, 
this arrangement of dinner differs somewhat in different families, 
and perhaps the order of courses is not strictly fixed ; yet such 
may be considered a fair sample of a good family dinner in 
Hamburg. 

" In some families we used to meet again at six for tea handed 
round without eatables, — a custom probably derived from the 
English. The evening follows, and is spent either over whist or 
in pleasant conversation, or at concerts ; and, again, at nine or 
ten o'clock is a hearty cold supper, with meats and fruit and winCj 
finished on the gentlemen's part by cigars, which are smoked here 
apparently as freely in the parlor or dinmg-room as anywhere 
else." 

A dinner in Berlin he describes as follows : 

" The dinner in Berlin is usually at one o'clock, except when 
company is invited, when it is delayed to three or four o'clock, 
after the business hours are over. Our dining-room here was a 
high, bare room, with walls and ceilings painted in pretty pat- 
terns, a tall white porcelain stove in one corner, and a sofa, to- 
gether with a few plain articles by way of furniture. There was 
no carpet on the floor, and the room had, in general, a naked as- 
|)ect. It was used mostly as a dancing-room. 

" The table was very prettily set out ; the dessert-fruit and 
flowers being in the centre, and a handsome show of Dresden 
China, and of graceful dishes surrounding them. One of the 
young ladies commenced at once by helping the soup, which wag 
passed by the servant. 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 23 i 

" After the soup, came the boiled beef, cut up into small pieces, 
and handed by the servant to each person. This is eaten without 
vegetables. This was succeeded by small bits of a roast chicken 
passed again to each, and eaten with pickles and preserves. The 
Bordeaux red wine was now passed, our host pouring first a few 
drops in his own glass, and then helping his right-hand guest. 
When he pours the last glass, it is the custom for him to empty 
the last drops also into his own glass. This wine is not stronger 
than claret, which it very much resembles. No lady in the com- 
pany took wine. I observ^ed that both gentlemen and ladies used 
finger and teeth on the chicken, in primitive fashion — a common 
habit of ordinary life in Germany. 

. " Our middle course was a pudding and sauce, after which came 
the great dish of roast-beef, the only meat carved by the host at 
the table, eaten with various vegetables. 

" ^ Is this quite different from your home dinners "? ' said the 
lady at my side, in English. 

^^ ' Oh, yes ;' I replied, and described our American meals. 

" ' >S'o .' pudding last ! how droll ! But which think you the 
most healthy?' 

"I thought the German diet, especially as her countrymen 
did not eat so much pastry, as we Americans ; and despite the 
long meals, were not so hearty eaters. 

'• * Ach ! here comes the dish of dishes ! — the — pardon ! how 
call you it? ' 

" ' Salad ! ' and each one set to work preparing his mixture, as 
for the especial dish of the day. Through the courses all ate very 
slowly, and conversation continued in the liveliest manner. 

" Our last course was black unbolted rye bread and butter, with 
a little fruit and confectionery, and after some further chatting, 
the whole company went to the drawing-room for the coffee, and 
the gentlemen to smoke. 

*' ' How much more pleasant is this,' said my companion as we 



232 DINNER. 



went out, ' as your English way to leave the gentlemen to drink 
and talk without ladies, as if you were ashamed.' 

" ' I think so, too ; ' I replied, ' we seldom do that in Amer- 
ica. But how can you housekeepers bear this smoking in your 
parlors ? I should think you would be obliged to smoke your- 
selves for defence.' 

'"No? Why should we oppose it? Is it not better for them 
to be in habit to smoke with us, than without us ? Beside, it 
never troubles me. I like it now. But do not think we smoke. 
No respectable lady smokes.' 

" 'I see Fraulein N — is making the coffee,' said I. ' Do you 
never leave it to servants ? ' 

" ' Oh, no,' she replied, ' it would never be so good. We al- 
ways make it fresh on the table, for it must not long kocken- — 
what is the word, — boil. It only drops very slowly through a — 
a— crossing of — ' 

" ' Sieve,' I suggested. 

" ' Ja ! a sieve and paper very thin. Here is your coffee. 
You must put no cream in it, but sugar much.' 

" After our coffee, came various merry-makings till evening. 
Other friends called with presents and mementos to the Frau 
Mutter, (this party were gathered to celebrate the silver ivedding 
of the parents,) good wishes were said, and pleasant speeches 
made, and at length, after a hearty supper at ten o'clock on 
broiled sturgeon and Bavarian beer, the company broke up with 
abundance of Adieus and Empfehle michs, and good byes for me." 



Old German Hospitality. — " In deeds of hospitality and social 
feasts, no nation on earth was ever more liberal than the Ger- 
mans, The manner in which they received their guests was 
familiar and kind. Every one that came to a house was treated 
with lodging and repasts, as long and liberally, as the owner could 
afford ; and when his whole stock was consumed, he took his 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS 233 



guests to a new scene of hospitality, both proceeding to the next 
house, to which the formality of an invitation was unnecessary, 
and where they were received with the same frankness and joy 
Upon the departure of a guest, if he asked for any thing, it was 
cheerfully given him." — Logan's Antiqidties, 

In the famous " Lay of the Niebelungen," there is represented 
a feast which lasted twelve days and nights, at which five thousand 
guests, and thirty-two princes of the royal blood, were present. 

SPANISH HOSPITALITY OF THE PRESENT DAY. 

" I have spoken of the rarity of invitations to dinner, of which 
some travellers complain so bitterly. It is not the custom of the 
country to feed the hungry after that fashion ; and whether it be 
a fault or a virtue, Madrid, in particular, is like the rest of the 
kingdom. Prodigal abundance forms no part of Spanish social 
economy. The tertulias, or evening receptions, which are so nat- 
ural, so pleasant, and so free, that no one can enjoy them long 
without regarding them as one of the most charming fashions of 
social intercourse, are altogether without gastronomic embellish- 
ments. A little orchata, lemonade and cake, with ]3erhaps a cup 
of tea, where foreign habits have been acquired, are all that a 
large company will desire, to help them, with music and conver- 
sation, through a long and agreeable evening. If cards are in- 
troduced, as they frequently are, it is not often that the game 
gets the better of prudence. The stomach is not considered in 
Spain, the seat of the social affections. If you are recommended 
to a family, the head of it calls on you at once without regard to 
formality or visiting hours. Instead of giving you to eat, wliich, 
as you are travelling on your own means, he naturally supposes 
you do not need, he gives you his company, his personal attention 
and guidance, which he knows are of more importance to you. 
and which you cannot buy." — S. T. Wallis, Glimpses in Spain, 



234 DINN^EE. 

The Olla Podrkla of the Spaniards. — " The veritable <?//a is 
difficult to be made ; a tolerable one is never to be eaten out of 
Spain, since it requires many Spanish things to concoct it and 
with care ; the cook must throw his Avhole soul into the pan, or 
rather pot ; it may be made in one, but two are better. These 
jnust be of earthenware ; put them on their separate stoves with 
water. Place into No. 1, Garbanzos, (chick peas,) which have been 
soaked over-night ; add a good, piece of beef, a chicken, a large 
piece of bacon ; let it boil once and quickly ; then let it simmer ; 
it requires four or five hours to be well done. Meanwhile, place 
in No. 2, with water, whatever vegetables are to be had ; lettuce, 
cabbage, a slice of gourd, of beef, carrots, beans, celery, endive, 
onions and garlic, long peppers. These must be previously well 
Avashed. and cut, as if for a salad ; then add red sausages, or 
^^ cho7'izos ;^' half a salted pig's face, which should have been 
soaked over-night. When all is sufficiently boiled, strain off the 
water and throw it away. Eemember constantly to remove the 
scum of both sauce-pans. "When all this is sufficiently dressed, 
take a large dish, lay in the bottom the vegetables, the beef in 
the centre, flanked by the bacon, chicken, and pig's face. The 
sausages should be arranged around en couronne ; pour over some 
of the soup from No. 1, and serve hot. 

" This is the olla en grande, such as Don Quixote says was 
eaten only by canons and presidents of colleges ; like turtle-soup, 
it is so rich and satisfactory, that it is a dinner of itself. A 
worthy dignitary of Seville, in the good old times, told us that on 
feast days he used turkeys instead of chickens, and added two 
sharp Eonda apple.s, and three sweet potatoes of Malaga. In 
fact, any thing that is good in itself, is good for an olla, provided, 
as old Spanish books always conclude, that it contains nothing 
' contrary to the holy mother church, to orthodoxy, and to good 
manners.' 

" The word olla means at once a species of prepared food, and 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 2 1! 5 

the earthenware utensil in which it is dressed, just as our term 
dish is applicable to the platter, and to what is served on it. It 
is only well made in Andalusia, and there alone in careful, well- 
appointed houses ; it is called ^jz^c/^ero in the rest of Spain, where 
it is but a poor affair, made of dry beef, boiled with garhanzos or 
chick peas, and a few sausages. 

" Bacon is much honored in Spain, and with good reason, for it 
has always been, and is, unequalled in flavor. The hams of Gal- 
licia and Catalonia are celebrated for their excellence ; the sweet 
hams of the Alpujarras, a hamlet among the snowy mountains of 
Granada, are delicious ; they are so called because scarcely any 
salt is used in the curing; the ham is placed in a weak pickle for 
eight days, and then is hung up in the snow. 

"Most Spaniards have a knack at making rev we^tos de huevos, 
or omelettes. For a insto, or neat omelette, take fresh eggs, 
which beat up well ; chop up onions and whatever savory herbs 
you have with you, and small slices of any meat out of your 
hamper, cold turkey, ham, etc. ; beat all up together and fry 
quickly. 

" The guisado, or stew, like the olla, can only be well done in 
a Spanish pipkin. This dish is well done by every cook in every 
venta, only that they are apt to put in bad oil, and too much pep- 
per, saffron, and garlic. SujDerintend it therefore yourself, and 
take hare, rabbits, partridge, or chicken, or whatever you may have 
foraged upon the road ; cut it up, save the blood, the liver, and 
the giblets ; do not wash the pieces, but dry them in a cloth ; fry 
them with onions in a tea-cup of oil till browned ; take an olla, 
put in these bits with the oil, equal portions of wine and water ; 
add a bit of bacon, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, pimentos, a bunch 
of thyme, or herbs ; let it simmer, carefully skimming it ; half an 
hour before serving, add the giblets ; when done, serve hot. The 
stew should be constantly stirred with a wooden spoon, and 
D-rease, the ruin of all cookery, carefully skimmed off as it rises tc 



236 



DINNER. 



the surface. When made with proper care, and with a good salad, 
it forms a supper for a cardinal. 

" Another very excellent, but very difficult, dish is the polio con 
arroz, or the chicken and rice. It is eaten in perfection in Valen- 
cia, and is therefore often called Polio Valencian. Cut a good 
fowl into pieces, wipe them clean, but do not put them into water ; 
take a sauce-pan, put in a wine-glass of fine oil, heat the oil well, 
put in a bit of bread ; let it fry, stirring it about with a wooden 
spoon ; when the bread is brow^ned, take it out and throw it away ; 
put in two cloves of garlic, taking care that it does not burn, as, 
if it does, it will become bitter ; stir the garlic till it is fried ; put 
in the chicken, keep stirring it about while it fries, then put in a 
little salt and stir again ; whenever a sound of cracking is heard, 
stir again ; when the chicken is well browned or gilded, which 
will take from five to ten minutes, stirring constantly, put in 
chopped onions, three or four chopped red or green chiles, and 
stir about ; if once the contents catch the pan, the dish is spoiled ; 
then add tomatoes divided into quarters, and parsly; take two 
teacupsful of rice, mix all w^ell together; add liot stock enough to 
cover the whole over ; let it boil once, and then set it aside to sim- 
mer until the rice becomes tender and done. 

" The great art consists in having the rice turned out granu- 
lated and separate, not in a pudding state, which is sure to be 
the case if a cover be put over the dish, which condenses the 
steam." — Ford's Spaniards and their Country, 



OLD KOMAN CUSTOMS. 



Courses at Dinner. — The first course consisted of different 
kinds of meat ; the second of fruits and sweetmeats. During the 
first course, a large platter containing a variety of meats was 
Uanded about, that each of the guests might take what he chose. 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 231 

" Minerva's farget *' or "shield" was a dish of such an immense 
size, that it would hold an incredible variety of the rarest and 
nicest kinds of meat. In later times, in the first course were 
dishes to excite the appetite. They generally began an enter- 
tainment with eggs, and ended with fruit. Their dessert consisted 
of apples, pears, nuts, figs, olives, grapes, pistachio nuts, almonds, 
dried grapes, dates, mushrooms, the kernels of pine nuts, also 
sweetmeats, confectionery, cheese cakes, almond cakes, and tarts. 

Favorite Dishes. — Peacocks became so fashionable at the Eo- 
man tables that they attained an enormous price, their eggs being 
sold for five denarii, nearly seventy-five cents each. 

The guinea-hen, the nightingale, pheasant, kid, thrush, duck, 
crane, and goose, were all highly esteemed. The hedge-hog was 
so much valued that it was salted for preservation. The dormouse 
was eaten by them ; and the Koman Gourmands were fond of the 
flavor of young and well-fed puppies. When Macaenas himself 
entertained Augustus and Horace, the flesh of the young asinus, 
or common ass, was served up at his table. Sometimes a whole 
boar was stufled with the flesh of other animals, and when thus 
cooked whole, it was considered a masterpiece of cookery. 

The Romans were also fond offish; the mullet, lamprey, stur- 
geon, pike, were in favor, but they especially liked shell-fish, oys- 
ters, and snails. The elder Pliny tells us that one man had studied 
tlie art of fattening snails with paste so successfully, that the shells 
of some of them would hold several quarts. ."The mullet was 
reckoned stale, unless it died in the hand of the guest ; and they 
had their glasses to put them into, that they might the better ob- 
serve all the changes and motions of them in the last agony be- 
twixt life and death ; so that they fed their eyes, before their bodies 
Look^ how it reddens, says one ; there is no vermilion like it ; take 
notice hoiv the gray brightens upon the head of it ; and now it is 
at its last gas}) ; see how pale it turns, and all of a color. ''"' — Sen- 



-nii 



238 DINNER. 



eca. The Romans laad their brooks even in their parlors, where 
these fish were kept alive until wanted. 

Favorite Dishes of RomaR Emperors. — '' The favorite dishes of 
the Emperor Heliogahulus, were tongues of peacocks and nightin- 
gales, and the brains of parrots and pheasants. He fed his dogs 
with the liver of geese, his horses with raisins, and his wild beasts 
with partridges and pheasants. It is recorded of .him, that atone 
feast he had served up, in a single dish, the brains of six hundred 
ostriches. 

" The Emperor Vitellius, who was a great glutton, always ate 
at enormous expense, though not always at his own cost, for he 
frequently invited himself to breakfast with one friend, dine with 
another, and sup with a third; and they generally entertained him 
in such a sumptuous manner, that a treat seldom cost less than 
ten thousand crowns. The most memorable supper made for him 
was that of his brother, on his first arrival in Rome, in which were 
two thousand dishes of fish, and seven thousand of fowls, every 
one different, and the most expensive that could be had. His own 
profuseness exceeded even this at the dedication of that famous 
dish, which, on account of its great capacity, he called Minerva's 
target, filling it with the sounds of mullets, the brains of pheas- 
ants and peacocks, the tongues of a scarce kind of birds called 
phccnicopteriis, and the spawn of sea-lampreys, brought from a 
great distance." — Guthrie. 

Bulwer has very happily illustrated the Roman manners at 
table in his " Last Days of Pompeii," from which we extract a 
portion descriptive of Diomed's entertainment, and a scene with 
his cooks : 

" It was the day for Diomed's banquet to the most select of 
his friends. Although it was at one time thouo-ht inelesfant 
amons; the Romans to entertain less than three or more than nine 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 239 

at tlieir banquets, yet this rule was easily disregarded by the 
ostentatious : indeed, we are told in history, that one of the most 
splendid of the entertainers usually feasted a select party of thi-ee 
hundred. 

" ' The more the merrier,' says the proverb, — for my part, at 
a dinner, I have always found it the reverse ! 

"Diomed's party consisted of eighteen, — no unfashionable 
number in the present day. 

" He visited his kitchen, that sacred apartment, where the 
priests of the festival prepare their offering. 

" ' Oh ! oh ! ' grumbled he to himself, ' Congrio hath invited a 
whole legion of cooks to assist him. They won't serve for nothing 
— and this is another item in the total of my day's expenses.' 

" ' Ho, Euclio,' cried one of the strange cooks, ' your egg-pan ! 
What ! is this the largest ? it only holds thirty-three eggs ; in the 
houses I usually serve, the smallest egg-pan holds fifty, if need 
be!' 

" ' Who ever saw such antique sweetmeat shapes as these '? ' 
cried a pert little culinary disciple, scarce in his novitiate ; ' it is 
impossible to do credit to one's art with such rude materials. Why, 
Sallust's commonest sweetmeat shape represents the whole siege 
of Troy, Hector, and Paris, and Helen, — with little Astyanax 
and the wooden horse into the bargain.' 

" ' Silence, fool ! ' said Congrio, the cook of the house ; ' my 
master, Diomed, is not one of those expensive good-for-naughts, 
who must have the last fashion, cost what it will.' 

" Diomed at this, calls out Congrio, and in a great passion 
tells him ' he hast cost him enough already to ruin Lucullus himself,' 
and demands why he has filled his house with more cooks ; he 
now charges him to see that the Phrygian attagans are not over- 
roasted, reminding him of a former feast when he so boldly under- 
took the becoming appearance of a Melian Crane. ' Thou knowest 
it came up like a stone from -^tna, — as if all the fires of Phlege- 



240 



mXNER. 



thou luul Ihvu 81'oivlnng' out its juioes. r>e uiodost this time, 
C'ougrio, wary aud luodost. But, I say, Congrio, — you pert- 
touguod neophyte of the kitoheu, — was there aught but insolence 
on his tongue, when he maligned the comeliness of my sweetmeat 
shapes .' I w ould not be out o( the fashion, Cong-rio.* 

*' 'It is but the custom of us cooks,' replied CongTio, gravely, 
* to undervalue our tools in order to increase the etfect of our art. 
The sweet uu\it shape is a fair shape, and a lovely; but I would 
reconuuend my master, at the tirst occasion, to purchase some new- 
ones, of a ,' 

" * That will sutKce,' exclaimed Diomed, 'now resume thy 
charge, — shine — eclipse thyself — let men envy Diomed his cook, 
— let them style thee Congrio the Great ! Cio — yet stay, — thou 
hast not spent all the moneys I gave thee for the marketing ? ' 

•••All! — alas I the ntijhtinpales^ ton()in\^, — the oi/sters from 
Britain, the fomacuht, that rich delicate sausage, and sundry 
other things, are yet left unpaid for; but what matter — every 
one trusts the chief cook of Diomed the wealthy ! ' 

'• • ! unconscionable prodigal ^w hat waste ! — what profusion ! 
— but go — taste ! — perform I — surpass thyself.' 

''The festive board was composed of three tables; one at the 
centre and one at each wing. It was only at the outer side of 
these tables that the guests reclined ; the inner space being left 
untenanted for the greater convenience of servants. In formal 
parties, the women sat in chairs, while the men reclined. The 
chair of lone was next to the couch of Glaucus. 

•■• The modern ornaments of Ji^poyne or Plattau were supplied 
by images o( the gods, w rought in bronze, ivory and silver. The 
sacred salt-cellar and the familiar Lares, were not forgotten. 
Over the table aud seats, a rich canopy was suspended from the 
ceiling. At each corner of the table, w ere lofty candelabras, for 
though it was earlv noon, the rooui was darkened ; while from 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 241 



tripods placed in different parts of the room, distilled the odoi 
of myrrh and frankincense. 

" The custom of grace was invarialjly supplied by that of liba- 
tions to the gods ; this ceremony being performed, the slaves 
showered flowers upon the couches and tlie floor, and crowned 
cacli guest with rosy garlands, intermingling each with the ivy 
and the amethyst, — supposed preventives against the effect of 
wine : the wreaths of the women only were exempted from these 
leaves, for it was not the fasliion for them to drink wine in public. 

" It was then that Diomed thought it advisable to institute a 
director of the feast — an important office, sometimes chosen by 
h)t, sometimes as now by the master of the entertainment. 

" The appointment being made, the slaves now handed round 
basins of perfumed water, by which lavation the feast commenced. 
Tlie slaves appeared bearing a tray covered with the first prepara- 
tive initia of the feast. 

" Amid delicious figs, fresh herbs strewed with snow ancho- 
vies, and eggs, were ranged small cups of diluted wine, sparingly 
mixed with honey. The conversation was interrupted for a mo- 
ment by a flourish of flutes, and two slaves entered bearing an 
Ambracian kid. The slave, whose duty it was to carve, and who 
valued himself on his science, performed that oflflce on the kid to 
the sound of music, his knife keeping time. The second course, 
consisting of a variety of fruits, pistachio nuts, sweetmeats, tarts, 
and confectionery, was now placed upon tlie table. The slaves 
in the interim were constantly kept upon the alert by the vigilant 
director of the feast, who chased one cup by another, with a 
celerity which seemed as if he were resolved to exhaust the capa- 
cious cellars of Diomed. The feast proceeded — the guests grew more 
talkative and noisy — when the slaves bore round water with myrrh 
and hyssop for the finishing lavation. At the same time a small 
circular table that had been placed in the space opposite the guests, 
suddenly, as if ])y magic, seemed to open in the centre, and cast 
IG 



242 DINNER. 

up a fragrant shower, sprinkling the table and the guests ; while, 
as it ceased, the awning above them was drawn aside, and the 
guests perceived that a rope had been stretched across the ceiling, 
and that a nimble dancer was now treading his airy measures over 
their heads." 

During their leasts, the guests were entertained with music and 
dancing ; sometimes with pantomimes and play-acting, with fooL 
and buftbons, and even with gladiators ; but the more sober had 
only persons to read or repeat select passages from a book. 

Their highest pleasure at entertainments arose from agreea- 
ble conversation. 

AETICLES OF FOOD IN ITALY. 

" You would be surprised at the articles of food that are ex- 
posed for sale in Italy, such as cock's combs, the claws of poultry, 
blood, and even the entrails of animals. Meat is sold here in bits 
as small as we distribute about the table ; the poorer classes scarce 
taste meat at all. Polenta (hasty pudding) is here a prime arti- 
cle of food. The bread they eat is of good quality, and often 
made luxurious by a spreading of lard. They have delicate prej)- 
arations of milk resembling our curds, but much nicer, called 
ricotta and giuncata. Vegetables are very cheap, and the very 
poor almost live on the coarse kinds. Soup is their luxury ; soup 
by courtesy, but really the thinnest of broths. Wine holds the 
place to them that tea does to our working people. 

" Chestnuts are bread here ; they are cheap, abundant, and 
very delicious ; much larger than ours, sweet and marrowy, and 
approaching the lusciousness of fruit. Their sweet odors, as they 
are roasting, perfume the streets. How poor must the people be 
to subsist on these things, when at a restaurateur's you can get a 
dinner for twenty-five cents, consisting of soup, three or four 
kinds of meat, a variety of vegetables, a pudding, and a dessert 
of fruit and nuts." — Miss SEDca\acK. 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 243 

GKECIAN CUSTOMS. 

Athenian Practices. — There were three different kinds of 
feasts or entertainments among the Athenians ; one was the mar- 
riage feast; of the other two, one was provided at the sole expense 
of one person, the other was made at the common expense of all 
present. Xenophon writes, — " It being generally the custom when 
they met together for every one to bring his own supper, Socrates 
observed that whilst some took such care of themselves as to have 
more than sufficient, others were compelled to be content with less. 
He, therefore, so ordered the matter, that the small portion of 
him who brought little should be offered about to all the company 
in such a manner, that no one could, civilly, refuse to partake of it ; 
nor exempt himself from doing the like with what he brought ; by 
which means a greater equality was preserved among them. 
There was also this further advantage arising from it : the ex- 
penses of the table were much abridged ; for when they saw, that 
whatever delicacy they brought thither, the whole company would 
have their share of it, few chose to be at the cost to produce it ; 
and thus luxury was in some degree put a stop to in these enter- 
tainments." 

The luxury, elegance, and costliness of the private Athenian 
entertainments are too well known to require notice here. Of 
some of the particular customs at table, however, we have such a 
pleasing illustration written by Mrs. Child, who had studied 
thoroughly the Grecian habits, that we shall add it, as presenting 
them in a more agreeable form than a dry detail of facts. 

" The guests passed between the marble columns, and entered 
that part of the room where the banquet was prepared. 

"Aspasia filled a golden basket with Athenian olives, Phoeni- 
cian dates, and almonds of Naxos, and whispering a brief invoca- 
tion, placed it on a small altar, before an ivory irnage, which 
stood in the midst of the table. 

" Seats covered with crimson cloth, were arranged at the end 



244 DINNER. 



of the couches for the accommodation of women ; but the men re- 
clined in Asiatic ftishion, while beautiful damsels sprinkled per- 
fumes on their heads, and offered ^Yater for their hands in vases 
of silver." 

At length, " Plato Nvas chosen to preside over the festivities 
of the evening, and taking garlands from the golden urn, on which 
they were suspended, he proceeded to crown the guests. He first 
placed upon Aspasia's head, a wreath, among whose flowers the 
rose and myrtle were most conspicuous. To one he gave a cor- 
onal of violets, and upon another's head he placed a wreath of 
pm'e white lilies. When all were crowned, at a signal from Plato, 
slaves filled the goblets with wine, and he rose to propose the 
usual libation to the gods. 

"■ Every Grecian guest joined in the ceremony 

" After the guests had partaken of the most delicious viands, 
a female slave noiselessly brought a silver harp to Aspasia, and 
placed before her guests, citheras and lyres. Music burst upon 
the ear ; the exhilarating notes stirred every Grecian heart. 
Some waved their garlands in triumph, while others kept time 
with branches of myrtle. At length, a troop of maidens, repre- 
senting the Zephyrs and the Hours, glided in and out, between 
the marble columns, pelting each other with roses, as they flew 
through the mazes of the dance. Presently, the music, more 
measured and slow, announced the dance of Ariadne guiding her 
lover from the Labyrinth. Comic dances follow. When the 
guests depart, gifts are bestowed upon them, according to the 
munificent custom of the country." — 

The Athenian cooks, many of whom came from Sicily, were 
highly skilled in their art, and had an innumerable variety of 
dishes. A Grecian poet represents one of the cooks boasting of 
the fine feast his master could have in his house, and makes 
him enumerate the various dishes he could furnish. 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VAEIOUS NATIONS. 245 

*' There is scent of Syrian myrrh, 

There is incense, there is spice 

There are delicate cakes and loaves, 

Cakes of meal and polypi, 

Tri^e, and fat, and sausages, 

Soup, and leef, and^gs, and peas, 
. Garlic, various kinds of tunnies, 

Stisan, pulse, and toast, and mufins. 

Beans, and various kind of vetches. 

Honey, c7ieese, and cheese-cakes too, 

Wheat, and nuts, and barley-groats. 

Roasted crabs, and mullets boiled. 

Roasted cuttle-fish, boil'd turbot, 
' Frogs, and perch and mussels too. 

Sharks, and roach, and gudgeons too, 

Fish from doves and cuckoos named, 

Plaice and flounders, shrimps and rays. 

Then beside these dainty fish 

There is many another dish, — 

Honey-combs and juicy grapes. 

Figs and cheese-cakes, apples, pears, 

Cornels and the red pomegranate. 

Poppies, creeping thyme, and parsley, 

Peaches, olives, plums and raisins. 

Leeks and onions, cabbages. 

Strong smelling asafcdida. 

Fennel, eggs, and lentils cool, 

And well-roasted grasslioppers, 

Cardamums and sesame, 

Ceryces, salt, and limpets firm, 

The pinna, and the oyster bright. 

The periwinkle and the whelk ; 

And besides this, a crowd of birds. 

Doves and ducks, and geese and sparrows. 

Thrushes, larks, and jays and swans. 

The pelican, the crane and stork, 
• Wag-tails and ousels, tits and finches ; 

And to wash all these dainties down 

There's wine, both native and imported. 

White and red, and sweet and acid. 

Still or effervescent." 

The Puhlk Meals of Sparta. — " Lycurgus, in his endeavors 



246 DINNER. 

to banish effeminacy and luxury, and the love of riches from 
Sparta, made a regulation to suppress the magnificence and ex- 
travagance of private tables, and ordained that all the citizens 
should eat together of the same common victuals, ^vhich were 
prescribed by law, and expressly forbade all private eating at 
their own houses. 

" The tables consisted of about fifteen persons each ; where 
none could be admitted without the consent of the whole company. 
Each person furnished every month a bushel of flour, eight meas- 
ures of wine, five pounds of cheese, two and a half pounds of figs, 
and a small sum of money for preparing and cooking the food. 
Every one, without exception of persons, was obliged to be at the 
common meal ; and a long time after the making of these regula- 
tions, king Agis, on his return from a glorious expedition, having 
taken the liberty to dispense with the law in order to eat with 
his wife, was reprimanded and punished. 

" The very children were present at these public tables, and 
were carried thither as to a school of wisdom and temperance. 
Here they would hear grave discourses upon government, or often 
the conversation was enlivened with ingenious and sprightly 
raillery, but never mixed with anything vulgar or disgusting, and 
if their jesting seemed to make any person uneasy, they never 
proceeded any further. Here their children were also trained to 
secresy ; as soon as a young man entered the dining-room, the 
oldest person of the company present said, pointing to the door, 
^Nothing s2)oke}i here, must ever go out tliere^ 

*' The most exquisite of all their dishes was the hlaclc broth, and 
the old men preferred it to every thing that w'as set upon the 
table. Dionysius the tyrant, when he was at one of these meals, 
was not of the same opinion ; and what was a ragout to them, 
was to him very insipid : — ' I do not wonder at it,' said the 
cook, 'for the seasoning is wanting.' 'What seasoning?' re- 
plied the tyrant. 'Kunning, sweating, fatigue, hungei, and 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 247 

thirst ; these are the ingredients/ says the cook, ' with which we 
season all our food.' " — Kollin. 

A RUSSIAN DINNER. 

A dinner party m Russia is much like ours, except that all the 
dishes are handed round ; which they deem more pleasant than 
the stiff formality of the joints being placed on the table. The 
lady and gentleman of the house are then at leisure to enter into 
conversation with the guests, and can attend to the minor polite- 
nesses requisite. A correspondent of the London Times gives us 
the following particulars respecting some peculiar Russian dishes : 

" At a restaurant in Moscow, you will first be presented with 
a huge bowl of cabbage soup, a kind of 2^ot-au~feu, which must 
be eaten, however, with several odd adjuncts, such as cakes stuffed 
with chopped vegetables, a dish of guelots, chopped fat, fried 
brown and crisp ; and, lastly, a large ewer of sour milk. Then 
comes a vol-au-vent of fowl and toad-stools. Next, if you are 
alive, a boiled sucking pig, with tart sauce, then a very nasty 
little fish, much prized in Moscow, and called sterlit ; a fid of 
roast beef and a dish of birds about the size of pigeons, called 
guillemots ; a compote of fruit closes the meal. I have forgotten 
to say how it begins. Before dinner a tray is laid out with 
caviare, raw salt herrings, raw ham and sardines, bottles of 
brandy, rodka, anisette, and doppel hiimmel, a sweet spirit with 
a flavor of mint It is de rigueur to eat some of this ; and as 
the caviare is generally good, it is the best part of the dinner. 

" Bears' flesh, reindeer and elk are sometimes offered for sale in 
the markets of St. Petersburg. The geese are cut up, and the 
heads, necks, legs and carcasses sold separately by the dozen, or 
half dozen, strung upon small cords. Those who cannot afford 
to dine on the breast of a goose, purchase a string of frozen heads, 
or a few dozen of webbed-feet, to boil down into soup. — To have 
a sterlit (the imperial fish of Russia) is the desire of every Rus- 



248 DIXNER. 

sian Amphitryon ^ ou Von dine.'' Sometimes the sterlit does not 
cost more than a tm-bot in England — a guinea or two — but in 
the season the price rises according to demand and the state of 
the market, and ' as much as fifty guineas have been given for 
one.' After that, our small extravagance of peas at two guineas 
quart sinks to shabbiness. It must only be on extraordinary 
occasions when sterlits are thus purchased, for very peculiar ar- 
rangements subsist between a cook and his master ; thus described 
by a lady who has spent six years in Russia : 

" ' The cook, who among the Russians of any pretension is 
always a man, caters ; all the year round he is allowed the same 
amount per head daily, for fish, flesh, fowl and vegetables ; he 
therefore provides what he likes every day, serving fish, soup, fowl 
or game, and flesh, two or three kinds of vegetables, and a dish 
— sometimes two — of "sweets, fasts of course excepted. The 
German maid is served from the family table, but the other ser- 
vants have their own dishes, their schee and black bread, and the 
raw herrings, and so forth, at noon, and their fragrant Mocha at 
four o'clock. The cook is at liberty to do what he pleases with 
the remains of the daily fare ; he may sell it either hot or cold, 
which he generally manages to do, to the neighboring tractlr, or 
coff"ee-shop, or to some of the people in the attics ; this is a sys- 
tem here. The Emperor contracts with his cooks, paying so 
much per head for dinner ; the Grand-Duchess Marie the same. 
I dined one day with a lady from the interior, who, during her 
temporary residence in the capital, took an " appartement '* near 
the Leuchtenberg Palace, and our dinner of several courses was 
supplied by the cook of the Grand Duchess. On ordinary occa- 
sions, this lady and her companion dined very bountifully every 
day, after this fashion, at three shillings each.' 

" Do not let us be too ready to smile at this as a barbarous 
custom. True indeed is the saying of Boileau, that ' un diner 
rechauffG ne vaut jamais rien ;'' but the fashion came from the 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 249 

royal tables of the old regime of France, and was not despised 
in England when that magmis Apollo of cooks, the immortal 
Careme, used to sell the succulent pates that came untouched 
from the Regent's table." 

SWEDISH DISHEt. 

" Some of the purely national dishes of Sweden, as lut-Jisk on 
Christmas Eve, are most extraordinary things ; lut-fisk being the 
stock fish steeped in a solution of potash, until decomposition takes 
place. On Christmas Eve this thing is boiled and eaten Avith oil 
sauce ; and this, together with grot, which is simply boiled rice, 
form the Christmas dishes of Sweden. The smell of the lut-fisk 
is terrific ; but a true Swede clings to his national dish as much 
as any beef-eating Englishman to his. 

In Sweden, roast reindeer steaks and game are considered nu- 
tritious, well-flavored, and easy of digestion ; the flesh is first j)er- 
forated, and little bits of lard inserted ; and after being baked in 
an oven it is served in a quantity of white sauce." — Miss Bun- 
bury's Northern Europe. * 

DINNEKS IN TURKEY. 

" The dishes are very diversified and numerous, consisting 
usually of twelve or fifteen, and sometimes even of thirty courses, 
sweet and meat dishes being introduced in alternate succession ; 
the meal commencing with soup and ending with pilof — a prepa- 
ration of rice. They have a species of pastry which is remarka- 
bly light and delicious, and the Turkish blanc-mange, mohalleby, 
IS much liked even by Europeans. Fruit is frequently partaken 
of during a repast. The order in which dinner is served is as fol- 
lows : — soup, rebab or roast meat in small pieces, entremet or veg- 
etables and meat cooked together, pastry, roast fish, entremet, 
mohalleby, entremet, maccaroni, fowls, jelly, cfec, until at last it 



250 DINNER. 



winds up with the significative pilaf and sherbet. No wine or 
liquor is served at table. 

They use neither chairs nor tables, but a low stool being put 
in the middle of the room, a large circular copper tray is placed 
upon it. No such paraphernalia as cloths, napkins, knives, and 
forks, plates, glasses, <fec., are essential ; one long, narrow napkin 
is provided, which goes all around the tray and lies upon the floor, 
each person slipping under it as he sits down. Small loaves of 
bread, alternately with small dishes of fruit, pickles, anchovies, 
cheese, etc., are indiscriminately scattered around the edge of the 
tray, in the middle of which the different preparations of food are 
successively placed by the servant, and the food is eaten hy the 
fingers, — excepting the soup, for which wooden spoons are pro- 
vided. Around the tray the company sit with their legs under 
them, and all eating from the dish in the middle. 

The mode of eating in Turkey is generally conducted with 
great decorum. The master of the house commences first, and 
the guests or other members of the family follow his example. 
The dishes are generally dressed so as to give no one any incon- 
venience in eating without knife and fork. 

At an ordinary reception of a visitor in Turkey, after the 
usual formal salutations are passed, he is first oftered a chibouk, 
after which sweetmeats are served upon a silver tray, with goblets 
of water and then coftee. This beverage is served in small por- 
celain cups in stands of silver or gold to secure the hand frpm 
burning. — Oscanyon. 

DINNEE AMONG THE CIRCASSIANS. 

In Circassia, when a stranger arrives, mattresses and coverlets 
are immediately spread upon the floor, and a cheerful fire is light- 
ed under an enormous chimney. Dinner is brought in upon a 
round table eighteen inches above the ground, upon which a 
whole sheep is deposited in a complete state of dissection. In the 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 251 

centre is a sort of thick porridge made of millet seed, and a 
wooden bowl containing a red-looking sauce. A bowl of soup 
follows the mutton, which you take with wooden ladles. Vege- 
tables, plates, knives, forks, salt or chairs, are luxuries yet un- 
known. 

THE SHAH OF PERSIA AT DINNER. 

" The only persons, besides servants, admitted into the saloon, 
where the Shah dined, were the three princes, his sons, who had 
accompanied him ; and they stood at the farthest end, with their 
backs against the w^all, attired in dresses of ceremony. 

" Mirza Ahmek, his chief physician and host, remained in at- 
tendance without. A cloth of the finest Cashmerian shawl, 
fringed with gold, was then spread on the carpet before the king, 
and a gold ewer and basin was presented for washing hands. 
The dinner was then brought in trays, which, as a precaution 
against poison, had been sealed with the signet of the head 
steward before they left the kitchen, and were broken open by 
him again in the presence of the Shah. 

" Here were displayed all the refinements of cookery : 

"Eice, in various shaj)es, smoked upon the board; first, the 
chilari, as white as snow ; then the pilau, with a piece of boiled 
lamb, smothered in the rice ; then another pilau with a baked 
fowl in it ; a fourth, colored with saffron, mixed up with dried 
peas ; and at length, the king of Persia dishes, the narinj pilau, 
made with slips of orange peel, spices of all sorts, almonds and 
sugar. 

" Salmon and herring, from the Caspian Sea, were seen among 
the dishes ; and trout from the river Zengi ; then in china basins 
and bowls of different sizes were the ragouts, which consisted of 
hash, made of a fowl boiled to rags, stewed with rice, sweet herbs 
and onions ; a stew, in which was a lamb's marrow bone, with 
some loose flesh about it, and boiled in its own juice ; small 
gourds, crammed with force-meat, and done in butter ; a fowl, 



252 DINNER. 

stewed to rags, with a brown sauce of prunes ; a large omelette, 
about two inches thick ; a cup full of the essence of meat, mixed 
with rags of lamb, almonds, prunes and tamarinds, which was 
poured upon the top of the chilau ; a plate of poached eggs, fried 
in butter and sugar, and a stew of venison. After these came the 
roasts. 

" A lamb was served up hot from the spit, the tail of which 
was curled up over its back. Partridges, and what is looked 
upon as the rarest delicacy in Persia, two partridges of the valley, 
were procured for the occasion. Pheasants from Mazanderan were 
there also, as Avell as some of the choicest bits of the wild ass and 
antelope. 

" The display and the abundance of delicacies surprised every 
one ; and they were piled up in such profusion around the king, 
that he seemed almost to form a part of the heap. I do not men- 
tion the innumerable little accessories of preserves, pickles, cheese, 
butter, onions, celery, salt, pepper, sweets and sours, which were 
to be found in different parts of the tray, for that would be 
tedious ; — but the sherbets were worthy of notice, from their pecu- 
liar delicacy ; these were contained in immense bowls of the most 
costly china, and drank by the help of spoons of the most exqui- 
site workmanship, made of the pear-tree. They consisted of the 
common lemonade, made with superior art, — of the sekenjehiuy or 
vinegar, sugar and water, so mixed that the sour and the sweet 
were as equally balanced as the blessings and miseries of life, — 
the sherbet of sugar and water, with rose-water to give it a per- 
fume, and sweet seeds to increase its flavor, — and that made 
of the pomegranate ; — all highly cooled by lumps of floating 
.ice. 

" The king, then doubling himself down, with his head reclin- 
ing towards his food, buried his hand in the pilaus and other 
dishes before him, and ate in silence, while the princes and ser- 
vants remained immovable. When he had finished, he got up, 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 253 

and walked into an adjoining room, where he washed his hands, 
drank his coffee, and smoked his water-pipe. 

" In the course of eating, he ordered one of the pilaus, of whicl' 
he had partaken, to he carried to his host, by a servant in wait- 
ing. As this is considered a mark of peculiar honor, the Mirza 
was obliged to give a present in money to the bearer. 

" The princes then sat down ; and when they had eaten they 
rose, and the dishes were served up in another room, where the 
noble of the nobles, the Court Poet, the master of the horse, and 
others were seated, and who continued the feast which the king 
and his sons had begun. After this, the dinner was taken in suc- 
cession to the different servants, until the dishes were cleared by 
the tent-pitchers and scullions." — Morier. 

ARAB DISHES. 

" The dishes of the Arabs comprise, for the most part, stewed 
meats with onions, cut up fine, and some other vegetables. A 
favorite way of cooking lamb or mutton is, to cut it in small 
bits, and roast them on skewers. They sometimes cook a whole 
sheep, lamb, or kid, stuffing it with onions, garlic, pistachio nuts, 
etc. No instrument of iron or steel is allowed to touch it after it 
is placed upon the table, but it is separated by the right hand of 
the master of the feast, assisted sometimes by one or more of his 
guests. 

" The Arabs seldom or never touch their food with their left 
hand, and when a fowl or turkey is to be separated, it is fre- 
quently performed by the right hands of two persons sitting near 
together, though some of them are so expert in this mode of 
carving, as to dissect a fowl very handsomely with the right hand 
alone. 

" Should the master of the house select any particularly nice 
bit of meat, and offer it to a guest, it is considered a great mark 
of civility, and should be received in one's mouth from his fingers." 



254 din]s:er. 

The hospitality of the Arabs is proverbial, and the " eating of 
bread " with a stranger is a pledge for his safety and friendship. 

Eice enters largely into the diet of the Orientals, and fruits, 
as dates, figs, form an important article of their living. 

PARSEE CUSTOMS. 

Madame Pfeiffer's account of a visit in Bombay at the house 
of a Par see or Fir e-ioor shipper. 

"I remained during their meal-time, a liberty which no 
orthodox Parsee could have afforded to me. I was not allowed, 
however, to join them at table. It was first laid for me and I ate 
alone. Several dishes were placed before me which were prepared 
in the European manner. 

" When I had appeased my appetite, the table was carefully 
brushed, as if I had been infected with the plague. Flat cakes 
of bread were then brought and laid upon the uncovered table, 
instead of plates, and six or seven of the same dishes which had 
been served to me. The members of the family each washed 
their hands and faces, and the father said a short grace. 

" They all reached their right hand into the different dishes. 
They tore the flesh from the bones, separated the fish into pieces, 
and then dipped the pieces into the various soups and sauces, and 
threw them with such dexterity into the mouth that they did not 
touch their lips with their fingers. Whoever accidentally does, 
must rise and wash his hands again." 

A HINDOO MEAL. 

The favorite food of the Hindoo is rice and curry, which is 
prepared in the following manner : 

"A quantity of rice is boiled in an earthen vessel. In 
another vessel of smaller dimensions, a chicken, fish or piece of 
mutton, is cooked in ghee, to which are added from two to 
five spoonsful of a powder composed of the following ingredients : 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 255 

ginger, saffron, cummin, coriander, aniseed, red pepper, tama- 
rind, tumeric, garlic, made a liquid in cocoa-nut milk ; the amount 
of the ingredients depending upon the taste of the person. The 
meal being prepared, a small quantity is placed before the idol to 
propitiate it. On the floor of an inferior room a brass plate, or a 
large leaf is placed ; a quantity of the boiled rice is then piled 
upon it, and above it the before mentioned fragrant and delicious 
carry. After washing his hands, and making a short prayer, the 
Hindoo mixes the ingredients with his right hand into a small 
ball, and tosses it dexterously into his mouth ; lest any portion 
fall upon the plate, and defile the remaining mass. Saliva is 
considered an impure secretion. 

" A Hindoo woman never sits down to eat Avith her husband ; 
she and her daughters sit patiently by, and then regale them- 
selves upon what is left." 

No genuine Hindoo will eat with a person of a different caste, 
and he will turn away with disgust if invited to a feast with a 
European. 

SIAMESE CUSTOMS. 

Mr. Ruschenberger, the surgeon to the American expedition 
to Siam, in describing a state feast given to the officers, states 
" that the dinner was remarkable for the variety and exquisite 
flavor of the curries. Among them was one, consisting of ants' 
eggs, a costly and much esteemed luxury of Siam. They are not 
larger than grains of sand, and to a palate unaccustomed to them, 
are not particularly savory ! They are almost tasteless. Besides 
being curried, they are brought to the table rolled in green leaves, 
mingled with shreds or very fine slices of fat pork. Here Avas 
seen an ever to be remembered luxury of the East." 

"When the Siamese would have no more tea, they turn the 
cups down on the saucer, bscause it is the greatest incivility in 
them to refuse any thing, and if they left the cups standing, they 
would be served with more tea, which they are obliged to receive. 



256 DINNER. 

"The Siamese are skilled in making conserves of rose-leaf 
and lime blossoms, and in preparing the candied lime and citron. 
They equal the Chinese in making preserved and candied ginger." 
— Xeal's JResideuce in Siam. 

A BURMESE DAINTY. 

The author of ^1 Mission to Ava, says: 

" The most notable viand produced consisted of fried locusfs. 
These were brought in hot, in successive saucers, and I was not 
sorry to have the opportunity of tasting a dish so famous. They 
were by no means bad — much like what we might suppose fried 
shrimps to be. The inside is removed and the cavity stuffed 
with a little spiced meat." 

CHINESE DISHES. 

"The first dish was a species of soup called by the natives 
chou-cJiou ; it was a composition of pork, fowls, yams, sweet pota- 
toes, ducks, fish, onions, garlic, mint, pepper, salt, and cloves. 
These were boiled down to a perfect mush ; then more water 
and a small piece of bird's nestweve added, till the whole resem- 
bled, in substance and color, very rich turtle soup. This singular 
mixture was highly approved by our party, and having once eaten 
it, I should be glad to have such another mess again any day in 
the week. After this soup, we had some plain boiled rice, with 
mango pickles, and balichunr/. 

" This latter was quite delicious, but imagine my horror some 
few days after, on learning that balichung was putrefied brawns, 
which are in this state dried in an oven, and then beat up in a 
mortar with onions, garlic, spices, and a little salt ; this is then 
placed in a jar, and hot vinegar poured over it. Being left a 
sufficient time to allow the vinegar to penetrate and thoroughly 
saturate the fish, the jar is hermetically closed, and set aside for 
a couple of months, or longer. 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VAKIOU^ NATIONS. 257 



" The last dish consisted of some roast ducks done to a nicety.'' 
— Neal. 

"On the sea-coast of the kingdom of China, a sort of small, 
parti-colored birds, of the shape of swallows, at a certain season 
of the year, viz., their breeding time, come out of the midland 
country to the rocks, and from the foam or froth of the sea-water 
dashing and breaking against the bottom of the rocks, gather a 
certain clammy, glutinous matter, of which they build their nests. 
These nests, the Chinese pluck from the rocks, and bring in great 
numbers to the East Indies to sell ; which are esteemed by 
gluttons as great delicacies, who, dissolving them in chicken or 
mutton broth, are very fond of them, preferring them far before 
oysters, mushrooms, or other dainty morsels which most gratify 
the appetite. These nests are of a hemispherical figure, of the 
size of a goose's e^g^ and of a substance resembling isinglass." 

WiLLOUGHBY. 

" There is a marine delicacy of the Chinese which must not 
pass unnoticed ; it is a kind of sea-slug fished for on the coral 
reefs of the Eastern seas, and known under the name of Beche-de- 
Mer. 

"In the process of curing, it is first boiled, then opened down 
the back, and lastly smoked. When dried, it is an ugly-looking 
dirty-brown substance, very hard and rigid until softened by 
water, and a very lengthened process of cooking, after which it 
becomes soft and mucilaginous. It is rendered into a sort of thick 
soup, which is considered by the Chinese one of the greatest of 
luxuries." 

A traveller says of a stew of sea-slugs.; 

" They are slippery, and very difficult to be handled by inex- 
perienced chopsticks ; but they are most succulent and pleasant 
food, not unlike in flavor to the green fat of a turtle." 

Another traveller, author of ^' Life in China,'' describes a 
very peculiar dish: — "When our party of six had seated them- 
17 



258 . DINNER. 

selves ;it \\\v vvuire labli', my attention was attracted hy a corcrcd 
dish, — soinelhiiii;- unusual at a Cliiiiose meal. On a certain si<^nal, 
the cover was reuu)\eil, and presently the face of the whole table 
was coNcred wi(h juvenile ('r((bs, which made their exodus from 
the disli Nvilh all possible rapidity. The crablets had been thrown 
into a phiie of vinegar, just as the company sat down, — such an 
innnersion making them more brisk and lively than usual. Ihit 
the sprightly S})ort of tlie infant crabs was soon checked, by each 
truest sci/insj- wliich he could, dashinu- it into his mouth, crushing 
it between his teeth, and swallowing the whole morsel, without 
ceremony, neternuned io do as the (/hinese did, 1 tried this 
novelty also with one — with two. 1 succeeded, lindhig the shell 
soft and gelatinous, for they were tiny creatures, not more than 
a day or two old." 

In C^hina, rat soup is considered cipud to ox-tail soup ; tlie 
dog is fattened for the table, and the tiesh of dogs is as nnich 
liked by them as nmtton is by ns. 

In the eating-houses, rats, bats, snails, and bad eggs, are 
eaten, and the fins and tails of the shark are said to be very 
nmch relished in soups. 

"A collection of (Miinese food has just been forwarded to 
England from Shanghai. The wines are made principally of rice, 
and i)erfumed with Howers like those used in scenting the teas. 
Specimens of various sorts of tea are sent, and of the flowers em- 
ployed for scenting. There are three kinds of sea- weed, not un- 
like the (''arrageen moss. The animal substances are Ush maws, 
trespang or sea-cucumbers, beche-de-mer, and shark's fms. Noth- 
ing in the form of either kittens or puppies has been found ; 
only some antelopes' legs ready for making soup. Fourteen 
varieties of cake show the style of light confectionery among the 
(Chinese. The preserved fruits and vegetables are nmuerous, and 
there is a variety of tobacco ; some specimens marked "mild" 
for women. There are also seeds, dried fruits, and preparations 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 259 

from the bamboo, with condiments of various kinds, and a speci- 
men of arrowroot from the roots of the water lily. It is a very 
interesting addition to the Food Museum." 

The Chinese cook discards spices, but uses plenty of oils and 
fats. He is highly skilled in the culinary art ; a late traveller 
assigns to him here a middle position, — below the French, and 
above the English. 

Although many strange articles of food are eaten by the 
Chinese, they are generally prepared in such a way as to render 
them palatable to unprejudiced persons. 

JAPANESE CUSTOMS AND ENTERTAINMENTS. 

In their private houses the Japanese have no tables, but use 
instead small lacquered stands, of about a foot in height. 
These are in use because of the universal practice of the people 
to crouch down in a sitting posture ; therefore they have but lit- 
tle occasion for chairs or seats. One of these stands is placed 
before each person at meals, and he takes his tea, sips his sakee, 
or eats his soup from it as he crouches on the floor. The 
household utensils are few and simple, consisting of a supply of 
wooden chop-sticks, an occasional earthen spoon, a few china 
bowls, some lacquered cups, and the tea-kettle. This kettle is of 
earthenware or of bronze, and sometimes, but rarely, of silver, 
and is always kept boiling over the charcoal fire which burns in the 
centre of the apartment, where square holes, lined with tiles and 
filled with sand, are made for the purpose. The tea is in univer- 
sal use, and, as in China, is infused in each cup as it is wanted, 
and drank without sugar. The sakee is also drank generally, 
and when a guest arrives he is expected to take either tea or sa- 
kee, or both. 

Tlieir chief meal consists mainly of three dishes: hot stewed 
fish of the consisteace of thick soup, cold fish garnished with 
grated radish, and an odd compound composed of fish, shrimps, 



260 DINNER. 



dried sea- weed, and hard-boiled eggs. These are served in cov- 
ered bowls, and always accompanied by two cups, one containing 
soy to season each dish, the other, the never-to-be-omitted sakee. 
On one occasion Commodore Perry partook of refreshments at 
the house of the mayor of one of the towns. He was hospitably 
entertained with tea, cakes, confectionery, sakee, and a kind of 
hot waffle, made of rice flour. The mayor himself waited upon 
him, assisted by his wife and sister, who remained on their knees, 
(as is customary when among strangers,) yet moved about very 
actively with the silver sakee kettle, to replenish the cups. 

" At a morning call in Japan, after bowing in their peculiar 
manner, pipes and tea are brought in ; then confectionery or other 
dainties are served on a piece of white paper. What the visitor 
does not eat he carefully folds up in the paper and deposits in 
his pocket or sleeve. This practice of carrying away what is not 
eaten is so invariable a rule of Japanese good breeding, that at 
grand dinners the guests are expected to bring servants with 
baskets to receive the remnants of the feast." 

"At a Japanese banquet, the dishes are tricked out with gold 
leaf, and upon very grand occasions the bills, legs, and claws of 
the birds served up, are also gilt. The viands consist of every 
kind of vegetable, sea-weed not excepted ; of game, poultry, and 
fish. There are usually seven or eight courses, and while they 
are changing, the master of the house walks round, drinking saJcee 
with his guests. Each guest is served with a portion of every 
dish in a small bowl. Another bowl is placed by the side of it, 
and kept constantly replenished with rice, while the sauces and 
other condiments, as soy, salted ginger, salted fish, etc., are hand- 
ed round by servants. The chief object in giving these enter- 
tainments, is said to be less the assembling of a cheerful party 
than to exhibit the abundance, variety, and richness of the china 
and lacquered ware possessed by the master of the feast, to whom 
and to his wife, no compliment is so agreeable as admiration of the 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 261 

table service, accompanied by inquiries concerning the cost of the 
various articles. On grand occasions they make a great display 
of splendid lacquered bowls, silken napkins, etc." 

ABYSSINIAN DINNER. 

Major Harris gives us the following account of a dinner given 
on Easter day in the royal palace of the King of Shoa, in Abys- 
sinia, to which the British embassy received special invitation : 

" Tents had been erected in the court yard, and a separate 
repast provided for the foreign guests. Countless crowds filled 
every inclosure ; and long files of slaves with jars, baskets, and 
trenchers, hurrying to and from the kitchens and magazines, pro- 
claimed the extensive nature of the preparations for the royal en- 
tertainment. 

" At length the doors of the great hall were thrown open, and 
a burst of wild music from the royal band, ushered in the company 
to a spacious barn-like apartment, the dingy aspect of which 
formed a striking contrast to the galaxy of light that illumines 
regal hospitality in Europe. Holding high festival to all the 
adult population of the metropolis, the king reclined in state 
within a raised alcove, furnished with the wonted velvet cushions, 
and loaded with silver ornaments. Bull hides carpeted the floor, 
and the lofty walls were hung throughout with a profusion of em- 
blazoned shields, from each of which depended a velvet scarf or 
cloak of every color of the rainbow. 

" A low horse-shoe table of wicker-work extended the entire 
length of the hall. Thin unleavened cakes of sour teff^ heaped 
one upon another, served as platters. Mountains of wheaten 
bread, piled in close contiguity and strewed with fragments of 
stewed fowls, towered two or three feet above the surface of the 
groaning board. Bowls containing a decoction of red pepper, 
onions, and grease, were flanked by long-necked decanters of old 
mead, and at short intervals stood groups of slaves carrying has- 



262 DINNER. 



kets crammed with reeking collops of raw flesh, just severed from 
the newly slain carcass. 

" Taking their seats in treble rows upon the ground, the 
crowded guests were each provided with his own knife, fashioned 
like a reaping hook, and serving him equally in the battle-field 
and at the banquet. Four hundred voracious appetites were 
constantly ministered to by fresh arrivals of quivering flesh 
from the court-yard, where oxen in quick succession were 
thrown down and slaughtered. Barilles and capacious horns 
filled with hijdromel of intoxicating age, were rapidly drained and 
replenished ; and strings of eunuchs with the females pertaining 
to the royal kitchen, passed and repassed continually, with in- 
terminable supplies of bread to rebuild the demolished fabric, on 
the uprising of each satiated group. The royal band occupied the 
space vacant in the centre betwen the tables : — harpers and 
fiddlers played, danced, and sung with untiring perseverance ; and 
ever and anon, one of the king's female choristers lifted up her 
shrill voice with extravagant panegyrics on the hospitality of her 
master, and unqualified eulogy on the liberality of his British 
guests. 

"The carousal continued until dark, by which time the bones 
of three hundred and fifty steers had been picked, countless 
measures of wheat had been consumed, and so many hogsheads 
of old hydromel had been drained to the dregs, that saving the 
royal and munificent host, scarcely one sober individual, whether 
noble or plebeian, was anywhere to be seen." 

In ordinary life these people take two meals in a day — at 
noon and at sunset. The doors are scrupulously barred to 
exclude the evil eye, and a fire is lighted, before the Amhara will 
venture to appease his hunger ; — a superstition existing that with- 
out this precaution devils would enter in the dark, and there 
would be no blessing on the meat. Mastication is accompanied 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OF VARIOUS NATIONS. 263 

by a loud smacking of the lips — an indispensable sign of good 
breeding ! which is said to be neglected by none but mendicants, 
" who eat as if they were ashamed of it." 

Raiv Jiesh forms the great aliment of life ; and a sovereign 
contempt is entertained toward all who have recourse to a culinarv 
process. 

"Do all of your nation thus hum their meaf?" inquired an 
Abyssinian woman, after attentively watching the process of cook- 
ing. "I was told that such was the case, but could never have 
believed it." 

NATIVE COOKINa AND EATING IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. 

"A large hole is dug in the ground, fire is placed at the 
bottom, and covered with small pieces of wood, upon which, when 
well ignited, stones are heaped. When the whole becomes heated, 
green leaves are placed upon them, and then the articles to be 
cooked, such as pigs, mutton, dogs, &c., with all kinds of vege- 
tables. These are then covered with leaves and heated stones, 
with leaves again and grass, and finally earth is thrown over the 
whole mass, so as not to allow any of the heat or steam to escape. 
When thus cooked, the meats preserve all their juices, and the 
flavor is said to be superior to any thing of the kind cooked in 
any other way." 

The Pacific Islanders, until the introduction of Christianity 
amongst them, ate no fish, flesh, or fowl, without suspicion or 
alarm, regarding them as incarnations of their gods. " One, for 
instance, saw his god in the eel, another in the shark, another in 
the turtle, another in the dog, another in the owl, another in the 
lizard ; and so on throughout the fish of the sea, four-footed 
beasts and creeping things. In some of the shell-fish, even, gods 
were supposed to be present. A man Avould eat freely of what 
was regarded as the incarnation of the god of another man, but 
the incarnation of his own particular god, he would consider it 



264 DINNER. 



death to injure or eat. — The god was supposed to avenge the in- 
sult by taking up his abode in that person's body, and causing it 
to generate disease." 

" The Maldivians eat alone. They retire into the most hidden 
parts of their bouses, and draw down the cloths that serve as 
blinds to their windows that they may eat unobserved. The 
reason for this is, that they will never eat with any one who is 
inferior to them in birth, riches, or dignity: — and as it is a 
difficult matter to settle their equality, they are condemned to lead 
this unsocial life." 

-'It is the custom among the Otaheitans for the members of 
each family to separate at the hour of repast, two brothers, two 
sisters, and even husband and wife, father and mother, have each 
their respective baskets ; they turn their backs, and take their 
meal in profound silence." 

FOOD OF THE AECTIC EEGIONS. 

" The choicest dish of the Greenlander is the flesh of the 
reindeer ; but as these animals have now become extremely scarce, 
they are indebted to the sea for their permanent sustenance. 

" The head and fins of the seal are preserved under the grass 
in summer, and in winter a whole seal is frequently buried in the 
snow. The flesh, half frozen, half putrid, is eaten with the keenest 
relish. They set a great value on what they find in the reindeer's 
maw, making it into a dish which they call the ' eatable,' and 
send presents of it to their friends." 

At a banquet to which a traveller was invited with several 
respectable Greenlanders, the following dishes made their appear- 
ance : — Dried herrings ; dried seal's flesh ; the same boiled ; half 
raw or putrid seal's flesh called mikiak ; boiled auks ; part of a 
whale's tail in a half putrid state, which was considered a prin- 
cipal dish; dried salmon "5 dried reindeer venison; preserves of 



TABLE HABITS, ETC., OP VARIOUS NATIONS. 265 

crow-herries mixed with the chyle from the maw of the reindeer* 
and lastly the same enriched with train-oil. 

At another repast, we are told that "next came a portion 
of whale's flesh, or rather whale's skin. This was perfectly ehony 
in hue : it was cut and re-cut, crosswise, into diminutive cubes. 
Venturing upon one of these we were agreeable surprised to find 
it possessing a cocoa-nut flavor, like which it also cut ^ very short ; ' 
and we had consumed a number of these cubes, and with great 
relish too, before we recovered from our wonder." 

Dr. Kane says, "Our journeys have taught us the wisdom of 
the Esquimaux appetite. The liver of a walrus, eaten with little 
slices of his fat, is a delicious morsel. Fire would ruin the curt, 
pithy expression of vitality which belongs to its uncooked juices. 
With acids and condiments, it makes a salad which an educated 
palate cannot help relishing, and as a powerful and condensed 
heat-nw.Mng food, it has no rival. I make this last broad assertion, 
after carefully testing its truth." 

Many animals and insects are used as food in different parts 
of the earth, of which the mere mention is enough to create dis- 
gust and abhorrence. The flesli of the sloth, lizard, alligator, 
snake, monkey, and kangaroo, are eaten in South America ; the 
grasshopper is roasted and eaten by the North American Indian, 
and the eggs of various insects are prepared and eaten by other 
savages. The ancients ate the locust, and in Arabia, Persia, 
Africa, and Syria, it is still an article of food. 

The eating of human flesh is so revolting to all the tastes and 
instincts of civilized society, that it was for a long time consider- 
ed as having had no existence except in times of the most straiten- 
ed famine, or in exhibitions of demoniac revenge. The Anthro- 
pophagi were regarded as fabulous as the Centaurs. The dis- 
coveries- of modern navigators and travellers have, however, chang- 
ed this opinion. Famine or revenge undoubtedly first induced 



266 DINNER. 



men to such horrid food, but the evidence is overwhelming that 
what was begun in madness, was continued afterward as a plea- 
sure. The bodies of the victims sacrificed by the Mexicans before 
the Spanish Conquest were eagerly devoured. The inhabitants 
of the Pacific Isles, regarded "man's meat" as so delicious, that 
they sometimes sent small pieces of it, well roasted, and wrapped 
in leaves, to their distant friends as presents of love. Southey, 
in his history of Brazil, relates the following story. Soon after 
the conquest of that country by the Portuguese, a Jesuit converted 
(as he supposed) an aged native woman to the religion of the 
cross. He baptized her, catechized and instructed her ; at last 
she sickened, and was at the point of death, and the good man 
inquired what he could do to help her. "Mother," said he, "if 
I were to get you a little sugar now, or a mouthful of some of our 
nice things which we get from beyond the sea, do you think you 
could eat it?" "Ah, my son," replied the old woman, "my 
stomach goes against every thing ; there is but one thing which 
I think I could touch ; if I had the hand of a little Tapua boy, 
I think I could pick the little bones ; but woe is me ! there is no 
one to go out and shoot one for me." 



DINNERS, FEASTS, ETC., OF VARIOUS PERSONS. 

CORONATIOlSr FEAST FOR HENRY THE FIFTH'S QUEEN. 

" After the coronation was ended, Queen Katherine was con- 
veyed into the great hall of Westminster, and there sat at dinner. 

" Upon her right hand sat, at the end of the table, the Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury and Cardinal Beaufort. Upon the left hand 
of the queen sat James I., captive king of Scotland, under his 
canopy, who was served with messes in covered silver dishes. 

" The Countess of Kent sat under the table, at the queen's feet, 



DINNERS, FEASTS, ETC., OF VARIOUS PERSONS. 267 



Iiokling a napkin. The Earl of March, holding a sceptre in his 
hand, kneeled on the steps of the dais at the queen's right side ; 
the Earl Marshal, holding her other sceptre, knelt at her left. 
The Duke of Gloucester was that day overseer of the feast, and 
stood before Queen Katherine bareheaded. Sir Kichard Neville 
was her cup-bearer ; Sir James Stuart, server ; the Lord Clifford, 
pantler ; Lord Grey, her naperer ; and the Lord Audley, hei 
almoner. 

" This feast was all fish, for being February 24:th, Lent Avas 
entered upon, and nothing of meat was there, saving brawn, 
served with mustard. Among the fish dishes of the first course 
Fabian mentions especially, dead eels, stewed. 

" The second course of this fish banquet was jelly, colored with 
columbine flowers ; white pottage, or cream of almonds ; bream 
of the sea ; conger ; soles ; cheven or chubb ; barbel with roach : 
smelt, fried; crayfish or lobster; leche, damasked with th< 
king's motto, ' Une sans plus ; ' lamprey, fresh baked ; fiampayne, 
flourished with a scutcheon royal, and therein three crowns of 
gold planted with fleurs-de-lis and flowers of camomile, all 
wrought of confectionery. 

" The third course was likewise of fish. A leche, (strained 
jelly,) called a white leche, flourished with hawthorn leaves and 
red hawes ; ■ dates in compost ; mottled cream ; carp ; turbot ; 
tench ; perch, with gudgeon ; fresh sturgeon, with wilks ; por- 
poise, roasted ; crevisse d'eau (crab-fish) ; prawns, and eels roasted, 
with lamprey." 

BANQUET IN HENRY THE SEVENTH'S REIGN AT THE ENTHRONIZA- 
TION OF ARCHBISHOP WARHAM. 

'•The Archbishop sat at the middle of the 'High Board' 
alone, and the various courses served to him were not partaken of 
by any other of the guests, to whom similar and abundant courses 
were served. 



268 DINNER. 

" The Duke of Buckingham, as lord high steward of the feast, 
clad in scarlet roloes, bearing a white wand, bareheaded, and with 
an humble countenance, entered the hall on horseback. He was 
followed by two heralds of arms ; afterwards came the chief sewer, 
and after him the dishes of the first course, fourteen in number, 
and consisting solely of varieties of fish. While the dishes were 
being placed on the table, the duke dismounted, and stood on foot 
before the archbishop ; then, with an humble reverence, he retired 
to his own apartment, where a magnificent repast of several 
courses were served to him alone. The dessert and ornaments at 
this feast were very much admired, consisting of towers, castles, 
archbishops, and saints, angels, prophets, and patriarchs, from 
whose mouths proceeded labels, impressed with Latin inscrip- 
tions." — Chron. of Fashion. 

CORONATION DINNER OF QUEEN ANNE, WIFE OF HENRY THE 

EIGHTH. 

" Every lord who owed services at a coronation prepared them 
according to his duty. The Duke of Suffolk, as high steward, 
was richly apparelled, his doublet and jacket being set with orient 
pearl, and his courser trapped to the ground with crimson velvet, 
having letters of beaten gold thereon ; and by his side rode about 
the hall the Lord William Howard, earl marshal for his brother, 
whose robe was crimson velvet, and the housings of his stud pur- 
ple velvet, with white lions on it, cut out in white satin and em- 
broidered. The Earl of Essex was the queen's carver ; the Earl 
of Sussex, her sewer ; the Earl of Arundel, her chief butler ; on 
whom twelve citizens of London did wait at the cupboard. The 
Earl of Derby was her cup-bearer ; the Viscount Lisle, her pant- 
ler ; the Lord Burgoyne, chief larderer ; and the mayor of Oxford 
kept the buttery bar ; while Sir Thomas Wyatt acted for his 
father as chief ewerer, and claimed the office of pouring scented 
water on the queen's hands. 



DESTNERS, FEASTS, ETC., OP VARIOUS PERSONS. 269 

" When all these functionaries were at their stations the 
queen entered the hall with her canopy borne over her; she 
washed and sat down to table, under the canopy of state ; on the 
right side of her chair stood the Countess of Oxford, and on the 
left stood the Countess of Worcester, all the dinner-time, and 
they often held a fine cloth before the queen's face, ' whenever she 
listed to spit or do otherwise at her pleasure,' an extraordinary 
office, certainly, but first appointed at an earlier and less refined 
era than even the reign of Henry YIII. And under the table 
went two gentlewomen, and sat at the queen's feet during the 
dinner. When the queen and all these attendants had taken their 
places, the Duke of Suffolk and Lord William Howard rode into 
the hall on horseback, escorting the sewer and the Knights of the 
Bath, each bearing a dish of the first course for the queen's table, 
twenty-seven dishes, besides ' subtleties of ships made of colored 
wax, marvellous and gorgeous to behold.' While this service was 
done, the trumpeters standing at the A^indow, at the nethermost 
end of the hall, played melodiously. 

" The king took no part in all this grand ceremonial, but re- 
mained in the cloister of St. Stephen's, where was a little closet, 
in which he stood privately with several ambassadors, beholdijig 
all the service it was his pleasure should be offered to his new 
queen. 

" While the dinner was proceeding, the Duke of Suffolk and 
Lord William Howard rode up and down the hall cheering the 
lords and ladies, and the lord mayor, and his brethren ; and when 
these had dined, they commanded them to stand still in their 
places or on their forms, till the queen had washed. Then she 
arose and stood in the midst of the hall, to whom the Earl of 
Sussex brought a goodly spice-plate, and served her with comfits. 
After him the lord mayor brought a standing cup of gold set in a 
cup of assay, and after she had drunk, she gave him the cup ac- 
cording to the claims of the city, thanking him and his brethren 



__li 



270 DINNER. 

for their pains. Then she went under her canopy borne over hei 
to the door of her chamber, where she turned about, and gave the 
canopy, with the golden bells and all, to the barons of the cinque 
ports, according to their claim, with great thanks for their ser- 
vice." — Miss Strickland's Auiie Boleyn. 

MONTEZUMA AT TABLE. 

" About three hundred kinds of dishes were served up for 
Montezuma's dinner ; and underneath each of them were 
placed pans of porcelain filled with fire, to keep them warm. 
Three hundred dishes of various kinds were served up for him 
alone ; and above one thousand for the persons in waiting. He, 
sometimes, but very seldom, ordered the dinner himself, and de- 
sired that the best dishes, and various kinds of birds should be 
called over to him." Bernal Diaz, from whom we quote this ac- 
count, insinuates that the flesh of young children was " set before 
him as a relish." But he is obliged to admit that the Spaniards 
never saw anything of the kind, though he thinks it was on ac- 
count of the great variety of dishes ; consisting of fowls, turkeys, 
pheasants, partridges, quails, tame and wild geese, venison, 
musk, swine, jDigeons, hares, rabbits, and of numerous other birds 
and beasts, besides various other kinds of provision. 

" If the weather was cold, a large fire was made with a kind 
of charcoal, made of the bark of trees, which emitted no smoke, 
but threw out a delicious perfume ; and that his majesty might 
not suffer from the heat, a screen made of gold, was placed be- 
tween him and the fire. 

" The chair on which he sat was rather low, but supplied with 
soft cushions and was beautifully carved ; the table was little 
higher than this, but perfectly corresponded Avith his seat. It 
was covered with white cloths. Four very neat and pretty young 
women held before the monarch a species of round pitcher, filled 
with water, to wash his hands in. The water was caught in other 



DINNERS, FEASTS, ETC., OF VARIOUS PERSONS. 271 

vessels, and then the young women presented him with towels to 
dry his hands. Two other women brought him maize bread 
baked ivith eggs. 

" Before, however, Montezuma began his dinner, a kind of 
wooden screen, strongly gilt, was placed before him, that no one 
might see him while eating, and the young women stood at a dis- 
tance. Next four elderly men, of high rank, were admitted to his 
table ; sometimes he would offer them a plate of some of his 
viands, which they ate standing, in the deepest veneration, though 
without daring to look him full in the face. 

" The dishes in which the dinner was served up, were of varie- 
gated and black porcelain, made at Cholulla. While the monarch 
was at table, his courtiers, and those who were in waiting in the* 
halls adjoining, had to maintain strict silence. After the hot 
dishes had been removed, every kind of fruit which the country 
produced was set on the table ; of which, however, Montezuma 
ate but little. Every now and then a golden pitcher was handed 
to him, filled with a kind of liquor made from the cacao, of a very 
exciting nature." 

THE ENTERTAINMENT GIVEN BY THE EARL OF ATHOL TO JAMES V. 

" There were all kinds of drink, as ale, beer, wine, both white 
and claret, malvasy, muskadel, hippocras, and aquavitae. Fur- 
ther, there was of meats, wheatbread, mainbread, and ginger- 
bread, with fleshes, beef, mutton, lamb, veal, venison, goose, grice, 
capon, coney, cran, swan, partridge, plover, duck, drake, brissel- 
cock and pawnies, blackcock, and muir fowl, capercoilies ; and also 
the tanks that were round about the palace were full of all deli- 
cate fishes, as salmonds, trouts, pearches, pikes, eels, and all other 
kind of delicate fishes that could be gotten in fresh Avaters ; and 
all ready for the banquet. Syne were there proper stewards, cun- 
ning baxters, excellent cooks and pottingars, with confections and 
drugs for their desserts ; and the halls and chambers were pre- 



272 PINNKK. 

jiareil with c\>stly l>eddi«gr, vessels, ami napry according for a 
king- ; so that he wanted none of his orders more than ho had 
been at home in his own pahioe. The king remained in this wil 
derness the space of three days and thrt^ nights, and his com- 
jxinv. I heard men say it cost the Karl of Athol every day, in 
expenses, a thousand jxnnuls. 

•' The amK*issador of the Pope seeing this banquet and 
triumph which was made in a wilderness, where there was no 
town near by twenty miles, thought it a grt\Ht marvel that such 
a thing should l^ in Scotland, and that there should be such hon- 
esty and policy in it, es|xvially in the Highland, where theiv was 
but wood and wilderness. But most of all, this ambassador mar- 
velleil to see, when the king departed and all his men took their 
lea^ e, the Highlandmen set all this place in a tire, that the king 
and ambi\ssi\dor might see it. Then the ambassador said to the 
king, * I marvel, sir, -that you shovdd thole yon fair place to be 
burnt, that your Grace has l>een so well lodged in;' then the 
king answert\i and said, * It is the use of our liighlimdmen, 
though they be never so well lodged, to burn their lodging 
when they dej>art.* " — Pitscotie. 

QUEEN ELIZABETH. 

One of the most magnificent feasts of Queen £Iizabeth*s time, 
was that given by the £arl of Leicester at Utrechty during his 
g-overnment of the Low Countries, on St. George*s Day, 1586. 
A cloth and table were laid for her, as if she were in presence. 
"Then began the trumpets to sound in the service, which was 
most prince-like and abuudtvnt, — servevl on the knee, carved and 
tasteil, to her majesty's trencher ; the side-tables being furnished 
all in silver plate and attendeil on by gentlemen. Sundry sorts 
of musickes continued the entring of the first course ; which 
done and avoyded, the trumpets sounded in for the second, which 



DINNERS, FEASTS, KIC, OF VARIOUS PERSONS. 21 Z 

was all baked meats of beasts and fowls ; the beasts, as lions, 
dragons, leopards, an<l such like, bearing armes ; and the fowls as 
peacocks, swans, pheasants, turkey cocks, and others, in their 
natural feathers, spread in their greatest pride; which sight was 
both rare and magnificent. This service being placed on her maj- 
esty's board, the beasts on the one side, and the fowls on the other, 
the lion lying couchant at her higlmess's trencher, the ushers 
cryed ' A Hall' " 

It is probable that these lions, dragons, and leopards, were 
miniature resemblances of these animals formed by the skill of 
the cook, from other and more common viands. 

It is related of the Queen, that in summer time when she was 
hungry, she would eat something that was light of digestion, with 
the window open to admit the gentle breezes from the gardens or 
pleasant hills. Sometimes she would do this alone, but oftener 
with the favored few whose company she preferred. Slie ate but 
little, and in her declining life became still more abstemious. 
She seldom drank anything ?jut common beer, fearing the use, of 
wine, lest it should cloud her faculties. 

When she dined in puVjlic, she ordered her table to be 
served with the greatest magnificence ; the side-tables were also 
adorned with costly plate, for she took pride in thus displaying 
her treasures, especially when she entertained the foreign ambas- 
sadors. Songs and music were heard during the banquet. 

" Great hospitality was exercised in the palace, which no 
stranger who had ostensible business there, from the noble to the 
peasant, ever visited, it is said, without being invited to either 
ojie table or the other, according to his degree. 

" At the entertainment at Kenilworth, the chief table was 
adorned by a " .s'<z//," ship-fashion, made of mother-of-pearl, gar- 
nished with many designs. Another salt was fashioned oF silver 
in the form of a swan in full sail. A silver St. George mounted 
and equipped was also on the table ; the horse's tail held a case 
18 



274 DixxEu. 

of knives, while the breast of the dragon presented a similar ac 
commodation for oyster knives." — Scott. 

The Queen's dinners on ordinary occasions consisted of two 
courses ; beef, mutton, veal, swan or goose, capons, rabbits, lamb 
or kid, herons or pheasants, cocks or godwits, chickens, pigeons, 
larks, eggs, and pastry^ with fine wheaten bread, ale, beer, aiKl 
wine. 

Her fish-dinners consisted of two courses; 1st, ling, pike, 
salmon, haddock, whitings, gurnards, tenches, and birts ; 2d, 
sturgeon, carp, eels, lampreys, and conger, chines of salmon, 
perches, and cruez, with eggs, cream and butter, etc. In 1576, 
she wrote with her own hand the foreofoins^ account of her dailv 
diet. The only "made dishes" she mentioned, were, "custcrd, 
friant, and fritters." 



DINNER OF JAMES THE FIRST TO A SPANISH AMBASSADOR. 

" The Audience chamber had been beautifully fitted up for 
the occasion. On each side of the table, was a railing, to insure 
the resj)ectful distance of the people. The dishes were brought 
in by gentlemen of the household, preceded by the lord chamber- 
lain, each making four or five obeisances before they placed them 
on the table. Grace being said, their majesties washed their 
hands with water from the same ewer, the towels being presented 
by high ofiicers of the Crown. The first thing the king did, was 
to send a melon and some oranges, on a green branch to the 
Ambassador, observing, that they were the fruit of Spain, trans- 
planted to England. The duke rose, drank to the king, out of 
the lid of a beautiful agate cup, set with diamonds and rubies. 
Later in the entertainment, the duke drank to the queen, out oi 
the lid of a beautiful dragon-shape vessel of crystal set in gold. 

" The dinner lasted about three hours ; at the conclusion, the 
cloth was removed, and the table lowered, when their majesties, 



DINNERS, FEASTS, ETC., OF VARIOUS PERSONS. 275 



according to ancient custom, placed themselves upon it to wasli 
their hands." 

The ewerer was an officer of great importance at the tables of 
kings, as may be perceived from the above account ; it was liis 
office to bring water and towels to the king, both before and after 
each meal. The necessity of such an officer may be better seen, 
when we recollect that forks were not in general use, and that 
most of the food passed through the fingers. 

LOUIS FOURTEENTH. 

The king's breakfast was always a frugal repast, consisting of 
bread and wine. He usually dined au petit couvert, that is, alone, 
in his own chamber, at which meal three courses and a dessert 
were served, for he was constitutionally a great eater. The granda 
converts were very rare, and were generally held at Fontainebleau 
upon occasions of great ceremony. At ten o'clock he supped, 
when, at his desire, the princes and princesses of France sat down 
at the table with him ; six noblemen then stationed themselves 
at each end of the table, to try the meats and wait upon the king, 
while a numerous circle of courtiers and ladies stood around. 

The king always had a collation, or in case, as it was called, 
prepared for the night, in case he should require refreshments. 
It generally consisted of a bowl of soup, a cold roasted chicken, 
bread, wine, and water ; and an enamelled drinking cup. 

Louis XIV. seldom permitted any one but ladies to enter his 
coach, which was always stored with fruits, meats, and pastry ; and 
before the party were a league upon their way, he invariably pro- 
posed that they should partake of some refreshment. Although 
he never touched any food between his regular repasts, it afforded 
him great amusement to see others eat ; and in order not to incur 
his displeasure, it was necessary to devour every thing he offered, 
a necessity as imperative upon his own daughters and daughters- 
in-law, as upon the ladies of his court. 



276 DINNER. 



LOUIS FOUKTEENTH'S FEAST. 

" There was a feast held at Versailles, in the year 1664, thai 
was very magnificent and widely famed. This feast, consisting 
of a variety of entertainments, the king attended with a court of 
six hundred persons, whose entire expenses, including those of 
all their attendants, he defrayed. The cavalcade was followed by 
a gilded chariot, of immense size, representing the chariot of the 
sun. The golden, the silver, the brazen, and the iron ages, with 
the celestial signs, the seasons, and hours, followed the chariot 
on foot : every thing was in character ; shepherds brought in 
their hands pieces of the palisades, which they placed regularly 
to the sound of trumpets, to which, by intervals, succeeded the 
violins and other instruments. Some persons, who followed the 
chariot of Apollo, came forward and repeated to the queen verses 
alluding to the place, the persons, and the time. The races being 
finished, and the day at an end, four thousand large flambeaux 
illuminated the space in which the feast w^as prepared. 

" The tables were served by two hundred persons, representing 
the Seasons, the Fauns, the Sylvan s, and Dryads, with shepherds, 
reapers, and grape-gatherers. Pan and Diana appeared upon a 
moving mountain, and descended to place upon the tables the 
greatest rarities the fields and forests produced. In a semicircle, 
behind these tables, was raised all at once a theatre covered with 
musicians ; the arcades which encompassed the tables, and the 
theatre, were adorned with five hundred branches of green and 
silver, filled with wax candles, and the vast enclosure was encom 
passed with a gilt balustrade. These feasts, unparalleled even 
in romance, lasted seven days." — Cliron. of Fashion. 

A DINNER AT AUTEUIL THE HOME OF MOLlilRE. 

" One day, Chapelle, a schoolfellow, arrived at Auteuil with 
some hons vivans. 'We are coming to dine Avith you!' cried 



DINNERS, FEASTS, ETC., OF VARIOUS PERSONS. 277 



Chapelle, as soon as he perceived him. ^ You are welcome,' 
said Moliere. He had a good dinner prepared, and prayed Cha- 
pelle to do the honors of his house, for, as to himself, feeling 
unwell, he retired after having merely taken a cup of milk. The 
beginning of the dinner was only merry ; but during the dessert 
the libations, not of milk, succeeded each other in great number, 
and soon the reason of the guests began 'a battre la cam- 
pagne.' 

*' At first it was a tumultuous medley of follies ; but one grave 
word having by chance found its way there, the jolly fellows 
seiaed upon it, and behold! the conversation takes a serious 
strain. 'Life!' 'What is life?' 'What a sad thincr is life !' 
' Away with life ! ' ' Gentlemen, a luminous idea strikes me,' cried 
one of the guests ; ' we all agree that life is a stupid thing ; why 
do we not rid ourselves of it ? What if we were to go to the 
river and drown ourselves ! Would it not be wonderfully glorious ? ' 

" ' Bravo ! bravo ! approved ! ' exclaimed all ; ' let us go and 
drown ourselves.' 

"They tumultuously vacate the dining-room, and hasten to the 
river. The noise attracts a few inhabitants of the village ; they 
make an attempt to prevent them from executing their project ; 
the champaigne drinkers become furious ; they draw their swords 
and begin to pursue, but not with the firmest steps, their good- 
hearted would-be deliverers, who fly and take refuge in Moliere's 
house. The tremendous noise awakes him ; he gets up. Cha- 
pelle and his companions arrive, incensed w^ith fury, and crying, 
' Villains ! rascals ! scamps ! impertinents ! to prevent gentle- 
men from drowning themselves ! ' 

" Moliere, who perceives that the wine is still acting on them 
with all its strength, severely scolds the peasants, and orders 
them to retire. Then addressing his guests, ' You want to drown 
yourselves, gentlemen ; you are right ; it is a very good idea. I 
have, however, greatly to complain of you. I thought we were 



278 DINNER. 

better friends. What ! you nobly resolve to give up tbe game, 
and you go away without me ? Ah ! it is very wrong.' 

" But Suddenly stopping ; ' My friends, a reflection strikes me ; 
is this a suitable hour for so fine and glorious an action? To- 
morrow, in Paris, they would say that we have chosen night from 
motives of timidity ; they would perhaps say that it was a reso- 
lution of people who had just left the table. Will it not be much 
better, in order to have all the fame we deserve, to drown our- 
selves to-morrow morning in sober earnest, and in broad daylight ? 
Our glory will then be immortal ! ' 

" ' Why, he is right ! — he is always right — ce diable de Mo- 
licre ! ' 

" 'Now, my comrades, go to bed ; to-morrow the great feat.' 

" ' Yes, to-morrow, — to-morrow.' 

" Next morning at ten o'clock the breakfast-bell was heard. 
The boon companions were awakened from a very sound sleep. 
The fumes of the wine had subsided, and they felt themselves 
more disposed to eat a hearty breakfast than to take their last 
bath in the Seine." 

DINNER AT THE COEONATION OF CHAELES II.— 1660. 

" Into Westminster Hall I got, where it was very fine with 
hangings and scaffolds one upon another, full of brave ladies ; 
and my wife in one little one, on the right hand. Here I staid 
walking up and down, and at last upon one of the side stalls I 
stood, and saw the King come in with his crown on, and his 
sceptre in his hand, under a canopy. After a long time he got 
up to the further end, and all set themselves down at their sev- 
eral tables ; and that was also a brave sight ; and the King's first 
course carried up by the Knights of the Bath. And many fine 
ceremonies there were of the herald's leading up peoj^le before 
him and bowing ; and my Lord of Albemarle's going to the 
kitchen, and eating a bit of the first dish tliat was to go to the 



_, I 



DINNERS, FEASTS, ETC., OP VAEIOUS PERSONS. 279 



King's table. But above all, was the coming of the lords. Nor 
thumberland, and Suftblk, and the Duke of Ormond, before the 
courses on horseback, and staying so all dinner-time, and at last 
bringing up the King's champion, all in armour on horseback, 
with his spear and target carried before him. And a herald pro- 
claims ' That if any dare deny 'Charles Stewart to be lawful King 
of England, here was a champion that would fight with him : ' 
and with these words the champion flings down his gauntlet, and 
all this he do three times in his going up to the King's table. 
To which when he is come, the King drinks to him and then sends 
him the cup, which is of gold, and he drinks it off*, and then rides 
back again with the cup in his hand. I went from table to table 
to see the bishops and all others at their dinner, and was infinite- 
ly pleased with it. And at the Lords' table I met with William 
Howe, and he spoke to my lord for me, and he did give him four 
rabbits and a pullet, and so Mr. Creed and I got Mr. Minshell to 
give us some bread, and so we at a stall eat it, as everybody else 
did what they could get. I took a great deal of pleasure to go 
up and down, and look upon the ladies, and to hear the music of 
all sorts, but above all the twenty-four violins. About six at night 
they had dined, and I went up to my wife. 

" Thus did the day end with joy everywhere." — Pepys. 

SIR RICHARD STEELE AT DINNER. 

" Sir Eichard Steele having one day invited to his house a great 
number of persons of the first quality, they were surprised at the 
number of liveries which surrounded the table ; and after dinner, 
when wine and mirth had set them free from the observation of 
rigid ceremony, one of them inquired of Sir Richard, how such an 
expensive train of domestics could be consistent with his fortune. 
Sir Richard very frankly confessed that they were fellows of whom 
he would very willingly be rid ; and being asked why he did not dis- 
charge them, declared that they Avere bailiff's who had introduced 



280 DINNER. 

themselves Avitli ;iii oxecution, aiul wlioiii, since he coukl not send 
them away, he had thought it coiivenieiit to embellish with livery, 
that they might do him credit while they stayed. 

'' His friends were diverted with the expedient, and by pay- 
ing the debt discharged their attendants, having obliged Sir 
Eiehard to })rouuse that they shoilld never again tind him graced 
with a retinue of the same kind." — Pu. Johnson. 

DINNER AT MR. SHERIDAN'S ON '^SWILLED MUTTON." 

" We have an amusing idea given us of the etfect which a re- 
suscitation of real ancient cookery would produce, in the Me- 
moirs of Mrs. Sheridan, where we find that her husband was pre- 
vaiknl on by some friends to give them ' swilled mutton ' as a 
specimen of the old Irish taste in hospitality, and of the greatest 
perfection in cookery. 

" This swilled nuitton was hailed as a noble relic of former 
times. It consisted of a sheep roasted whole, in the inside of 
which was insinuated a lamb ; the houb was again stutted with a 
ha?'e and rabbits. There was also a (yoose, the body of which 
was stuffed with a duck, ami other delicacies, of a similar de- 
scription. 

'•* The floor of the dining-room was strewed with rushes. 
When every one was more than satisfied, the table was rejilen- 
ished with the choicest viands of the present day ; those wIkj 
were in the secret made a luxurious meal, and those who had, 
perforce, satisfied their appetites with * swilled mutton,* could only 
regret the circumstance." — Life of Mrs. Sheridan. 

MADAME DE STAEL. 

"How quick, intellectual, witty, and amiable, Madame de 
Stael was, is well known to the world. She was by no means 
handsome, but the talent of ruling the most diverse characters 



DINNERS, FEASTS, ETC., OP VARIOUS PERSONS. 281 



and binding tliera in social harmony, she possessed in the highest 
degree. Her great talent consisted in the power of saying some- 
thing striking and piquant on every subject that was presented 
to her notice. This talent made her a most delightful companion. 
Wherever she appeared, notwithstanding the presence of youn<' 
and beautiful women, she attracted all the men of any head or 
heart within her circle. When, in addition to her intellectual 
fascinations, it is remembered that she was wealthy, extremely 
hospitable, and daily gave sumptuous dinners^ it will not perhaps 
excite so much wonder, that, like a queen, or a fairy in her magic 
hall, she drew men around her, and ruled them ! At table her 
servant always placed a small twig of evergreen, of flowers, or 
flowering shrub, beside the knife and fork, which she held con- 
stantly in her hand, and played with or waved during conversa- 
tion, as if symbolic of her dominion over society." — Okhlensciila- 
GEit's Autobiography. 

THE EMPEKOIl NAPOLEON AND THE EMPRESS JOSEPHINE AT DINNER. 

"Dinner was appointed at six o'clock. It was, however, 
served when Napoleon was ready to receive it. Not unfrocj[uently, 
when much engrossed with business, he would postpone the hour 
till nine, or even ten o'clock. The cook, during all this time, 
would be preparing fresh viands, that a hot dinner might be 
ready at a moment's warning. A chicken, for instance, was put 
upon the spit every fifteen minutes. Napoleon and Josephine al- 
ways dined together, sometimes alone, but more frequently with 
a few invited guests. There was a Grand Master of Ceremonies, 
who, on such occasions, informed the Grand Marshal of the neces- 
sary arrangements, and of the seat each guest Avas to occupy. 
Occasionally, the Emperor and Empress dined in state. Kich 
drapery canopied the table, which was placed upon a platform 
slightly elevated, with two arm-chairs of gorgeous workmanship, 
one for Napoleon, and the other, upon his left, for Josephine. 



282 DINNER. 

Other tables were placed upon the floor of the same room, for il- 
lustrious guests. The Grand Marshal announced to the Em- 
peror when the preparations were completed. A gorgeous pro- 
cession of page;.-, marshals, equerries, and chamberlains accompa- 
nied the Emperor and Empress into the hall. Pages and stew- 
ards performed the subordinate parts of the service at table, in 
bringing and remo\dng dishes ; while noblemen, of the highest 
rank, ministered to the immediate wants of their Majesties. 
Those who sat at the surrounding tables, were served by servants 
in livery." — Abbott's Josephine. 

DINNERS OF THE PEINCE DE TALLEYEAND. 

Much has been said of Talleyrand's table, for his hospitality 
was enjoyed by all the illustrious men of Europe. The culinary 
art was practised in his house in its greatest perfection ; and 
" here was gathered every production of every country and climate, 
either esteemed delicious, rare, or curious ; — for the agents of his 
kitchens had carte hlanclie to purchase whatever money could 
procure. 

" Eegular couriers brought fresh sturgeons from the Mediter- 
ranean, carps from the Khine, and turbots from the Channels ; 
whilst other couriers furnished salmon from Holland, venison 
from Germany, game from Italy, pies from Perigord, fruits from 
Switzerland, and mutton from the Ardennes. Wine merchants 
were employed to select the finest wines and choicest liquors. 
His own hot-houses brought forth the most unseasonable but best- 
flavored fruits, which were also obtained in the greatest variety 
and of the most delicious quality, from Italy, Sicily, the Alps, — 
indeed wherever they could be found, for his agents left no place 
unsearched. The fame of his hospitality spread throughout all 
Europe, and the distinguished foreigners Avho visited the Tuileries, 
considered it an important event to dine at the house of the 
Prince de Talleyrand. 



DINNERS, FEASTS, ETC., OF VARIOUS PERSONS. 283 

" The prince, in his own person, pursued a vegime which pre- 
served his health and mental powers vigorous to old age. In the 
morning, he partook sparingly of food, but before commencing 
upon business, drank two or three cups of camomile. For a table 
of ten or twelve covers at his house, upon ordinary occasions, 
was prepared two potages^ two releves^ one of which was fish, four 
entrees, two rots, four entremets and the dessert. The prince ate 
heartily of soup, of fish, of one entree, which was usually of veal, 
or of mutton-chop broiled, or a little of chicken. Sometimes he 
partook of the roast ; his entremets were habitually spinach, or 
cardons, eggs or early vegetables ; and in sweet entremets, apples 
or pears gratinees. Sometimes he tasted the creme au cafe, but 
rarely touched the dessert. He drank only excellent Bordeaux 
wine lightly tempered with water, and a little of Xeres ; at 
the dessert, also, a small glass of old Malaga. After dinner in 
the saloon, his maitre-d'hotel presented a large cup to hhn, in 
which the prince dropped a lump of sugar and poured his coffee 
for himself. 

" He went yearly to the waters of Bourbon-l'Archambault, 
which he found to be of service to him, and from thence to his 
magnificent chateau at Valencay, where his elegant table was 
open to all the most distinguished men of France and Europe. 
It w^as not uncommon to meet there thirty eminent persons.'* 

A SrECIMEN OF GENERAL WASHINGTON'S DINNERS IN CAMP. 

The following pleasant letter was written by Gen. Washing- 
ton to Dr. Cochrane, a surgeon-general in the Continental army ; 
it is dated West Point, August 16, 1779 : 

" Dear Doctor — I have asked Mrs. Cochrane and Mrs. Living- 
ston to dine with me to-morrow ; but am I not in honor bound 
to apprise them of their fare % As I hate deception, even where 
the imagination only is concerned, I will. It is needless to pre- 
mise that my table is large enough to hold the ladies. Of this 



284 DINNER. 



they had ocular proof yesterday. To say how it is usually covered, 
is rather more essential ; and this shall be the purport of my 
letter. 

" Since our arrival at this happy spot, we have had a ham, 
sometimes a shoulder of bacon, to grace the head of the table ; a 
piece of roast beef adorns the foot ; and a dish of beans, or greens, 
almost imperceptibly decorates the centre. When the cook has 
a mind to cut a figure, which I presume wdll be the case to- 
morrow, we have two beef-steak pies, or dishes of crabs, in addi- 
tion, one on each side of the centre dish, dividing the space 
and reducing the distance between dish and dish to about six 
feet, which, without them, would be nearly twelve feet apart. Of 
late he has had the surprising sagacity to discover that apples Avill 
make pies ; and it is a question, if, in the violence of his efforts 
we do not get one of apples, instead of having both of beef-steaks. 
If the ladies can put up with such entertainment, and will submit 
to partake of it on plates, once tin hut now iron, (not become so 
by the labor of scouring,) I shall be happy to see them ; and am, 
dear doctor, yours," etc., etc. 

Gen. Washington's camp-chest, filled with the table-furniture 
he used during the war, is preserved at the Patent-Office, Wash- 
ington. It contains a gridiron, a coffee and tea-pot, three tin 
saucepans, (one movable handle for all,) five glass flasks, used 
for honey, salt, coffee, port-wine, and vinegar; three large tin 
meat dishes ; sixteen plates ; two knives and five forks ; a candle- 
stick and tinder-box ; tin boxes for tea and sugar, and five small 
bottles for pepper and other materials for making soup. 

WASKINGTON'S STYLE OF LIVING DURING HIS rEESIDENCY. 

" Washington's dining parties were entertained in a very hand 
some style. His weekly dining day, for company, was Thursday, 
and his dining hour was always four o'clock in the afternoon. 
His rule was to allow five minutes for the variation of clocks and 



DINNERS, FEASTS, ETC., OF VARIOUS PERSONS. 285 



watches, and then go to the table, be present or absent whoever 
might. He kejjt his own clock in the hall, just within the out- 
ward door, and always exactly regulated. When lagging members- 
of Congress came in, as they often did, after the guests had sat 
down to dinner, the President's only apology was, " Gentlemen, 
(or sir,) we are too punctual for you. I have a cook who never 
asks whether the company has come, but whether the hour has 
come." The company usually assembled in the drawing-room 
about fifteen or twenty minutes before dinner, and the President 
spoke to every guest personally on entering the room. He w^as 
always dressed in a suit of black, his hair powdered, and tied in 
a black queue behind, with a very elegant dress sword, which he 
wore with inimitable grace. Mrs. Washington often, but not al 
ways, dined with the company, sat at the head of the table, and 
if, as was occasionally the case, there were other ladies present, 
they sat at the foot of the table, and were expected to be quietly 
attentive to all the guests. The President himself sat half way 
from the head to the foot of the table, and at such times he would 
place Mrs. Washington, though distant from him, on his right 
hand. He always, unless a clergyman were present at his own 
table, asked a blessing in a standing posture. If a clergyman 
w^ere present, he was requested both to ask a blessing and to re- 
turn thanks after dinner. The centre of the table contained five 
or six large silver or plated waiters, those of the ends circular, or 
rather oval at one side, so as to make the arrangement correspond 
with the oval shape of the table. The waiters between the end 
pieces were in the form of parallelograms, the ends about one- 
third part of the length of the sides, and the whole of these 
waiters were filled with alabaster figures, taken from the ancient 
mythology, but none of them such as to off'end in the smallest de- 
gree against delicacy. On the outside of the oval formed by the 
waiters were placed the various dishes, always without covers ; 
and outside the dishes w^ere the plates. A small roll of bread, 



-h 



enclosed in a napkin, "vvas laid by the side of each plate. The 
Tresident, it is bi'lieviul, generally tlincd on one dish, and that, of 
a simple kind, 11" (>tteivd something, either in the lirst or second 
I'ourse, which was very rich, his usual reply was, ' That is too 
good for me.' lie had a silver jnnt cup or nuig of beer, placed 
by his plate, which he drank while dining. He took one glass of 
wine during dinner, and coinnionly one after, lie then retired — 
tlu' ladies having gone a little before him — and left his secretary 
to superintend the table till the wine-bibbers of Congress had sat- 
isfied themselves with drinking. His wines were always the best 
that could be obtained. Nothing could exceed the order with 
whioh his table was served. Every servant knew w hat he was to 
do, and did it in the nu)st quiet and rapid manner. The dishes 
and plates were removed and changed, with a silence and speed that 
seeuunl like enchantment. — Lt'ffcr of fhclafr lb{. Asiir.Ki. Ghkkn. 

GEN. MARION'S ENTERTAINMENT TO A UKll IS1[ OF Fli KIJ. 

^' Gen. Marion was stationed on Snow Island, South Carolina, 
when a young otlicer of tlie British army visited him to treat re- 
specting prisoners, lie was led blindfolded to the camp of I\Ia- 
rion. There he tirst saw" the diminutive form of the great parti- 
san leader, and around him in grou]>s were his fi>llowers, lounging 
beneath magniticent trees draped with moss. AVhen their busi- 
ness was concluded, Marion invited the young l^riton to dine with 
him. He reuuiined, and to his utter astonishment he saw some 
roasted potatoes brought forward on a piece of bark, of which tlie 
general partook freely, and invited his guest to do the same. 
* Surely, general,' said the otlicer, * this cannot be your ordinary 
fare?' 'Indeed it is,' replied Marion, 'and we are fortunate, 
on this occasion, entertaining company, u> have more than our 
usual allowance.'' It is related that the young otlicer gave up his 
commission on his return, declaring that such a people eotdd not, 
and oui;ht not, to be subdued." — T.ossing. 



DINNERS, FEASTS, ETC., OF VARIOUS PERSONS. 287 

SYDNEY SMITH'S ACCOUNT OF A DINNER. 

"Did you ever dioe out in the country'?" said my father. 
*' What misery human beings inflict on each other under the name 

of pleasure ! We went to dine last Thursday with Mr. , a 

haunch of venison being the stimulus to the invitation. We set 
out at five o'clock, drove in a broiling sun on dusty roads three 
miles ; found the company assembled in a small, hot room, the 
whole house redolent of frying ; talked, as is our wont, of roads, 
weather, and turnips ; that done, began to grow hungry, then se- 
rious, then impatient. At last, a stripling, evidently caught up 
for the occasion, opened the door and beckoned our host out of the 
room. After some moments of awful suspense, he returned to us 
with a face of much distress, saying, ' The woman assisting in the 
kitchen had mistaken the soup for dirty water, and thrown it 
away ; so we must do without it.' We all agreed it was perhaps 
as well we should, under the circumstances. At last, to our joy, din- 
ner was announced ; but oh ! ye powers ! as we entered the dining- 
room, what a gale met our nose ! the venison was high — the venison 
was uneatable, and was obliged to follow the soup with all speed. 

" Dinner proceeded, but our spirits flagged under these accu- 
mulated misfortunes ; we obtained the second course with some 
difficulty, bored each other the usual time, ordered our carriages 
expecting our post-boys to be drunk, and were grateful to Prov- 
idence for not permitting them to deposit us in a wet ditch. 

" So much for dinners in the country ! " 

GEN. URQUIZA'S HOSPITALITY TO AMERICAN OFFICERS AND 

GENTLEMEN. 

General Urquiza's recent princely entertainment of several 
American officers and gentlemen, should not pass unnoticed. 
After the conclusion of the treaty respecting Paraguay, which he, 
as President of the Argentine Confederation, negotiated with 



-^^ iMNXER. 

the Amcrioau Commissioner and others, he invited the Commo- 
doio of the squadron, tb.o Connnissionor, with their otHoers, to visit 
him at his residence at San Jose, and there pass the :22d of Febru- 
ary, '* to celebrate with Inm the birthday of the immortal Wash- 
ington and the peace with raraguay." As the number of guests 
was not strictly s^x^citied, when the company arrived near Con- 
cepcion, one of tlie vessels was despatched to that town to give in- 
formation of the Commodore's arrival, and learn, if possible, how 
many guests were expected. She returned about noon with the 
intelligence " that the dignitaries were expected with the lanjest 
possih/e suite : that accommodations had been provided for the 
whole party in the town, if we elected to pass the night there ; 
and that conveyances were likewise in waiting if we preferred 
proceeding directly to San Jose. 

'• This last course we decided to take, but it was nightfall be- 
fore we drew near the country palace of San Jose. Then a long 
line of lights met the eye, and we soon drove in between two 
lines of cavalry drawn up on either side — an a^■enue of living- 
statues w itii drawn swords, visible by the light of torches. Then 
came an avenue of artillery, and we tinally drove through one of 
hifatitry to the entrance of the palace — all this with no other 
than the 

" 'Sound of the barbarous horn/ 

which, with the fantastic lights and shadows, made the scene re- 
scuible tlie approach to some Arab chieftain's tent, rather than a 
visit to the President of a Kepublicau Confederation. 

"' Through a spacious and graeetul iron gateway, we were 
escorted by a statf of othcers in rich uniforms up a tiower garden, 
laid out in parterres with marble walks and fountains, to the 
porch of an editice some two hundred feet broad, and only one 
story high, with tall Saracenic turrets rising at either of the two 
front cornei-s. l>etween these turrets a deep portico, paved with 



DINNERS, FEASTS, ETC., OK VARIOUS PERSONS. 289 

dalles, was covered by an arch-sustained roof resting' on eight 
cohimns. In a brilliantly-lighted and magnificcntly-fiirnishcd 
saloon on the left of the grand hall we were warmly welcomed by 
our illustrious host, for whom ' the cry is still they come ' Bcemcd 
to have no terrors, as section after section of our party were pre- 
sented to him. He sliortly conducted the Commissioner and 
Commodore to their rooms, — a list of our party was furnished ; 
all were quickly provided with ' ample and elegant accommoda- 
tions ' — eager aids-de-camps served as major-domos, and in less 
than half an hour each guest felt himself at home in the jyrincely 
residence. We were apprised tliat dinner would be served at 
eight o'clock, and after a comfortable toilet, proceeded to the draw- 
ing-room, where the gracious and beautiful lady of the mansion 
renewed the cordial welcome of its proprietor. 

'•The dining-liall reminded one of thebanrpiet-room at Apsley 
House. The table seemed to sink under the profusion of flowers 
and fruits. We sat down thirty, and you may judge of its width 
by the fact of there being four comfortable seats at each end. 
Tiie dishes were carved by two aids-de-camp, seated at small 
separate tables at either end of the room. I counted nineteen 
courses, besides fruits, the first day. At ten we adjourned to the 
drawing-room for coffee, and towards midnight we broke up for 
an early start on the morrow. During dinner, a military band in 
patio, or interior of the first quadrangle, enlivened the repast with 
martial and patriotic strains, and as I gazed through the door 
beyond the arches of the interior portico into the gloom from 
whence the sounds of trumpets and sliaums proceeded, and caught 
a glimpse of the dusky group of musicians and swart soldiery, I 
fancied myself in the Alhambra before the days of Isabella, the 
Catholic. 

" At dayljreak the next morning a group of ebony ncgresses, 
with white teeth and coral lips, pervaded the bed-chambers with 
mate and coffee, at the option of the drowsy guests. Then came 
19 



290 DINNER. 

otlier damsels, less obscure, with baskets of figs, pears, and peaches, 
still sparkling with the dews of night, and then a summons to 
the saddle or the carriage at half-past six o'clock. Sailors are 
proverbially sharp dressers, and we were soon assembled beneath 
the outer portico. *The lady Urquiza was attired for the noble 
steed which soon bore her, attended by Judge Bowlin on one side, 
and the warrior President on the other, through the long line of 
troops presenting arms, to the distant cami^o where herds of bul- 
locks were grazing. We followed — the younger on horseback, 
and the soberer in carriages." 

After an animated chase, and many feats at arms, performed 
for the diversion of the guests, the party returned to the palace. 
A formal dinner took place that evening, at which there were 
twenty-one courses ; the guests were in uniform ; speeches were 
made on both sides doing, honor to the occasion, and after a 
sumptuous entertainment the company parted. Their princely 
reception, and the noble hospitality of Urquiza, were the themes 
for every tongue, when the guests at length took their departure 
from the palace of this distinguished South American gentleman. 

SANCHO PANZA AT CAMACIIO'S WEDDING FEAST. 

" The first thing that presented itself to Sancho's sight was a 
whole bullock, spitted upon a large elm. The fire by which it was 
roasted was composed of a mountain of wood, and round it were 
placed six huge pots — not cast in common moulds, but each 
large enough to contain a whole shamble of flesh. 

" Entire sheep were SNvallowed up in them, and floated like so 
many pigeons. The hares ready flayed, and the fowls plucked, 
that hung about the branches in order to be buried in these cal- 
drons, were without number. Infinite was the wild fowl and 
venison hanging about the trees to receive the cool air. 

" Sanclio coimted above threescore skins, each holding above 



inXXERS, FEASTS, ETC., OF VARIOUS PERSONS. 291 



twenty-four quarts, and all, as appeared afterwards, full of gener- 
ous wines. 

" Hillocks too, he saw, of the whitest bread, ranged like 
heaps of Avheat on the threshing floor; and cheeses, piled up in 
the manner of bricks, formed a kind of wall. Two caldrons of 
oil, larger than dyers' vats, stood ready for frying all sorts of 
batter- ware ; and, with a couple of stout peels, they shovelled them 
up when fried, and forthwith immersed them in a kettle of prepared 
honey that stood near. The men and women cooks were about 
fifty in number, all clean, all active, and all in good humor. 

" In the bullock's distended belly were sewed up a dozen suck- 
ing pigs, to make it savory and tender. 

" The spices, of various kinds, which seemed to have been 
bought by the hundredweight, were deposited in a great chest, 
and open to every hand. In short, the preparation for the wed- 
ding was all rustic, but in sufficient abundance to have feasted 
an army. 

" Sancho beheld all with wonder and delight. The first that 
captivated and subdued his inclinations, were the flesh-pots, out of 
which he would have been glad to have filled a moderate pipkin ; 
next the wine-skins drew his affections ; and lastly, the products 
of the frying-pans, — if such capacious vessels might be so called ; 
and being unable any longer to abstain, he ventured to approach 
one of the busy cooks, and in persuasive and hungry terms, beg- 
ged leave to sop a luncheon of bread in one of the pots. To 
which the cook replied, ' This, friend, is not a day for hunger to 
be abroad — thanks to rich Camacho. Alight, and look about you 
for a ladle to skim out a fowl or two, and much good may they 
do you.' 

" ' I see no ladle,' answered Sancho. 

" ' Stay,' quoth the cook, ' God save me, what a helpless 
varlet 1 ' 

" So saying, he laid hold of a kettle, and sousing it into one of 



292 DINNEK. 



the half-jars, he fished out three pullets, and a couple of geese, and 
said to Sancho : 

" ' Eat, friend, and make a breakfast of this scum, to stay 
your stomach until dinner-time.' 

" ' I have nothing to put it in,' answered Sancho. 

" ' Then take ladle and all,' quoth the cook ; ' for Camacho's 
riches and joy supply everything.' " 

Basilius, a poor student, and Camacho the rich, were aspir- 
ants to the hand of a beautiful young girl. 

She loved Basilius, but her father preferred Camacho, on 
account of his great wealth, which he now displayed at the mar- 
riage feast. 

Before tasting of all these things, Sancho's sympathies were 
strongly enlisted in behalf of Basilius ; but after eating, he 
said, " I hold with Camacho, for I know very well I shall never 
get such elegant scum from Basilius's pots, as I have from 
Camacho's. My grandmother used to say, there are but two 
families in the world, the Have's and the Have-nots, and she 
stuck to the former. So that I tell you again, I hold with 
Camacho." — Cervantes. 

DINXEE AND EEJOICINGS UPON THE NEW TEAE'S COMING OF AGE. 

" The old year being dead, and the New Year coming of age, 
nothing would serve the young spark but he must give a dinner 
on the occasion, to which all the Days in the year were invited. 
The Festivals, whom he deputed a^ his stewards, were mightily 
taken with the notion. They had been engaged time out of 
mind, they said, in providing mirth and good cheer for mortals 
below, and it was time they should have a taste of their own 
bounty. It was stiffly debated among them whether the Fasts 
should be admitted. Some said the appearance of such lean, 
starved guests, with their mortified faces, would pervert the ends of 
the meeting. But the objection was overruled by Christmas-day, 



DINNERS, FEASTS, ETC., OF VARIOUS PERSONS. 293 



who had a design upon Ash- Wednesday/, as you shall hear. Only 
the Vigils were requested to come with their lanterns to light the 
gentlefolks home at night. 

" All the Days came to their day. Covers were provided for 
three hundred and sixty five guests at the principal table, with an 
occasional knife and fork at the sideboard for the Twenty-ninth of 
February. 

" I should have told you that cards of invitation had been issued. 
The carriers were the Hours ; twelve little, merry, whirligig, foot- 
pages as you should desire to see, that went all round and found 
out the persons invited well enough, with the exception of Bast- 
er-day, Shrove- Tuesday, and a few such Moveables, who had late- 
ly shifted their quarters. 

" Well, they all met at last, foul Days, fine Days, all sorts of 
Days, and a rare din they made of it. There was nothing but 
Hail! fellow Day, ivell met — brother Bay — sister Day — only 
Lady-Day kept a little on the aloof, and seemed somewhat scorn- 
ful. Yet some said Twelfth-i>ay cut her out and out, for she 
came in a tiffany suit, white and gold, like a queen on a frost- 
cake, all royal, glittering, Epiphanous. The rest came, some in 
green, some in white, — but old Lent and his family were not yet 
out of mourning. Eainy Days came in, dripping ; and Sunshiny 
Days helped them to change their stockings. Wedding Day was 
there in his marriage finery, a little the worse for wear. 

" Pay Day came late, as he always does ; and Doomsday sent 
word — he might be expected. 

" April Fool (as my young lord's jester) took upon himself to 
marshal the guests, and wild work he made with it. It would 
have posed old Erra Pater to have found out any given Day in 
the year to erect a scheme upon — good Days, bad Days were so 
shuffled together, to the confounding of all sober horoscopy. 

" He had stuck the twenty-first of June next to the twenty-sec- 
ond of December, and the former looked like a maypole siding a 



294 DINNER. 



marrow-bone. Ash- Wednesday got wedged in (as was concerted) 
between Christmas and Lord Mayor's days. How he laid about 
him ! Nothing but barons of beef and turkeys would go down 
with him — to the great greasing and detriment of his new sackcloth 
bib and tucker. And still Christmas-day was at his elbow, ply- 
ing him with the wassail-bowl, till he roared and hiccoughed, and 
protested there was no faith in dried ling, but commended it to 
the devil for a sour, windy, acrimonious, censorious, hy-po-crit- 
crit-crit-ical mess, and no dish for a gentleman. 

" At another part of the table Shrove-Tuesday was helping the 
Second of September to some cock-broth, which courtesy the lat- 
ter returned with the delicate thigh of a hen-pheasant ; — so there was 
no love lost for that matter. The last of Lent was sponging upon 
Shrovetide's pancakes, which April Fool perceiving, told him he 
did well, for pancakes were proper to a pood fry-day. i^ 

" It beginning to grow a little duskish. Candlemas lustily 
bawled out for lights, which was opposed by all the Days, who 
protested against burning daylight. 

" May-day, with that sweetness which is peculiar to her, in a 
neat speech, proposing the health of the founder, crowned her 
goblet (and by her example the rest of the company) with gar- 
lands. This being done, the lordly New Year, from the upper end 
of the table, in a cordial but somewhat lofty tone, returned thanks. 
He felt proud on an occasion of meeting so many of his worthy 
father's late tenants, promised to improve their farms, and at the 
same time, to abate (if any thing was found unreasonable) in 
their rents. At the mention of this, the four Quarter Days invol- 
untarily looked at each other and smiled ; April Fool whistled to 
an old tune of " New Brooms," and a surly old rebel at the 
further end of the table (who was discovered to be no other than 
the Fifth of November), muttered out words to this effect, that 
"when the old one is gone, he is a fool that looks for a better" — 
which rudeness of his, the guests resenting, unanimously voted 



DINNERS, FEASTS, ETC., OF VARIOUS PERSONS. 295 

bis expulsion, and the malcontent was thrust out neck and heels 
into the cellar, as the properest place for such a firebrand as he 
had shown himself to be. 

'• They next fell to quibbles and conundrums. The question 
being proposed, who had the greatest number of followers, the 
Quarter Days said there could be no question as. to that, for they 
had all the creditors in the world dogging their heels. 

" Day being ended, the Days called for their cloaks and great- 
coats, and took their leaves. Lord Mayor's Day went off in a 
mist, as usual ; Shortest Day in a deep black fog, that wrapped 
the little gentleman all round like a hedge-hog ; Longest Day set 
off westward in beautiful crimson and gold — the rest, some in one 
fashion, some in another ; but Valentine and pretty J/ay took 
their departure together in one of the prettiest silvery twilights 
a Lover''s Day could wish to set in." — -Charles Lamb. 



PART III. 

TEA. 

CONTENTS. 

1. Tea Coxsidered. 3. Tea Biscuits axd Cakes. 

2. Tea as a Beverage. 4. Preserves. 

5. Various Suppers, Fetes, etc. 



TEA. 295 



TEA. 

"Now stir the fire, and close the shutters fast. 
Let fall the curtains, whcsel the sof.i round, 
And while the bubbling and loud hissing urn 
Throws up a steamy column, and the cups 
That cheer, but not inebriate, wait on each. 
So let us welcome peaceful evening in." — Cowper. 

When the dinner is served at a late hour, as in fasliionaLle 
life, Tea does not deserve the name of a meal, since it is seldom 
more than tea or coffee served in the j3arlor accompanied by cakes. 
This light refreshment was called in the fifteenth century the 
voide, of which we have an account in Henry VII.'s time. After 
the marriage dinner of Katharine of Arragon and Arthur, Prince 
of Wales, '' the evening refreshment, called the voide, was brought 
in by fourscore earls, barons, and knights, walking two and two ; 
the ceremony of serving the voide being precisely as coffee is now 
presented after dinner ; but, instead of coffee and biscuits, ipocras 
and comfits were offered. One noble servitor presented the golden 
spice-plate, a second the cup, while a third of lower rank, filled 
the cup from a golden ewer." 

Out of merely fashionable life, however, the tea becomes of 
more" importance ; it is a most cheerful and social repast for the 
domestic circle, and one to which the unexpected guest most 
readily finds a cordial welcome. It is composed not merely of 
tea and cakes, but of bread and butter, of various relishes, and of 
fruits, either fresh or preserved. In our Northern States, it is a 
very general custom both in town and country, to invite company 
to tea ; — this meal being preferred to dinner as involving less 



oOO TEA. 

eftbrt, latig'ue, and formality. The table is on these occasions 
move or loss bountifully spread, according to the means and tastes 
of the hosts; conversation tknvs uiu-estrained by formality; a 
general cheerfulness seems to emanate from the steaming cups of 
tea, and the company generally separate at an early hour, with 
increased kindliness and neighborly feeling. 

In the rural districts, this meal partakes of the nature of a 
supper, both on ordinary and extraordinai-y occasions. When 
these latter occur, the greatest profusion abounds ; plenty with 
them is the soul of hospitality, and it is desh-ed that every guest 
shall taste of every dish. The description which Washington 
Irving gives of the Dutch country tea-table, although an exag- 
gerated picture, is yet such a pleasant one, that we subjoin it for 
the anuisement of our readers : 

''Fain would I pause to dwell upon the world of charms that 
burst upon the enraptured gaze of Ichabod Crane, as he entered 
the state parlor of A'an Tassel's mansion. Not those of the bevy 
of buxom lasses, with their luxurious display of red and white ; but 
the ample charms of a genuine Dutch country tea-table in the 
sumptuous time of autunni. Such heaped-up platters of cakes of 
various and almost indescribable kinds, known only to expe- 
rienced Dutch housewives! There was the doughtv dough-nut, 
the tenderer oly kock, and the crisp and crumbling cruller; sweet 
cakes and short cakes, ginger cakes and honey cakes, and the 
whole family of cakes. And then there Avere apple pies, and peach 
pies, and pumpkin pies ; besides slices of ham and smoked beef; 
and moreover delectable dishes of preserved plums, and peaches, 
and pears, and quinces, not to mention broiled shad and roasted 
chickens ; together with bowls of milk and cream, all mingled 
higgledy-piggledy, pretty much as I have enumerated them, with 
the motherly teapot, sending up its clouds of vapor from the 
midst. Heaven bless the mark I — I want breath and time to dis- 
cuss this banquet as it deserves. Happily Ichabod was not in so 



TEA AS A BEVERAGE. 301 

great a hurry as his historian, hut did ample justice to evcrv 
dainty." 

At the evening " receptions " wliicli are coming into favor in 
our society, the slight refreshment of tea and cakes, is very ap- 
propriate, and a promoter of ease and socia])ility. A small tul>le 
is spread with tea or coffee, and cakes, which are offered to the 
guests by either the lady of the house or one of her family. No 
invitations are given to these receptions, but the general one, 
which the lady issues to her friends at the beginning of the 
season. The guests come when they choose, spend as much or as 
little time, and retire when they please without formality. Mrs. 
James Kush, of our own day, will long be remembered by those 
who accepted her hospitality, and enjoyed the numerous gather- 
ings of this nature at her elegant mansion in Philadelphia. 



TEA AS A BEVERAGE. 

It is not known at what time tea was first used in the Chinese 
Empire. As early as 780 a. d. a duty was levied upon the tea, 
that grew spontaneously on the mountains. From 1028 to 
10G3, large factories were established, and the commerce became 
extensive. 

It is now two hundred years since its introduction into Eng- 
land ; previous to which, beer and ale were the customary drinks 
at table, for both men and women. In 1G78, the East India 
Company commenced the regular importation of tea, as an article 
of commerce. At this early period it was a court luxury, and sold 
from twenty-five to forty-five dollars per pound. Even fifty years 
after, it was still a luxury confined to the wealthy, and used in 
small quantities, with cautious economy, out of cups containing 
about a table-spoonful. 

It is about one hundred and forty years since tea came into 



-Jj 



302 TE.V. 

use in Now England ; and there, as elsewhere, it slowly grew 
into the favor of the richer })art of the eoninuniity. 

Many aiieeilotes are related of the mistakes made by cooks 
and others in the lirst preparation of it. One gentleman had it 
served up as (/rccns for his table; the water in which the leaves 
were boiled beinir throNvn awav. 

The compact entered into by various towns on our sea-coast, 
during the ditliculties with Great Britain, not to import tea on 
account of the tax laid upon it, prevented its coming into general 
use until some years after the Revolutionary war. During this 
struggle, ''Liberty Tea" was adopted by some persons, as a sub- 
stitute. It was made from the four-leaved loose strife. This plant 
was pulled up like thix ; its stalks, stripped of their leaves, were 
boiled ; the leaves were then put into an iron kettle, and the 
licpior of the stalks poured over them. After this process, the 
leaves were removed to platters, and placed in an oven to dry. 

The varieties of black tea are Bohea, Congou, Canipoi, 
Souchong, Caper and Bckoe. The green teas are known as Im- 
perial, Hyson, Twankay and Gunpowder. 

Of the cheering eftects of tea, unanimous testimony has been 
jriven in everv countrv where it has been used. 

As a Chinese ambassador to Thibet, was once nuiking a 
preparation of tea in his tent, the natives of Thibet who were 
present, incpiired about its qualities. '' It is a drink," replied he, 
" which relieves thirst, and dissipates sorrow." Dr. Kane speaks of 
it as an unfailing resource, in his fatiguing journeys across the ice 
and snow of the Arctic regions. Tea was Dr. Johnson's favorite 
beverage, lie said his '• tea-kettle had no time to cool; that 
v.ith tea he solaced the midnight hour, and with tea he' welcomed 
the morning." One of Sydney Smith's recipes against melan- 
choly, was always to keep 'n/ fea-kcfffe simmeriiKj on the hobJ*^ 

The Preparation of Tea. — Black tea is best when boiled fif- 



TEA-BISCUITS AND CAKES. ;303 

teen or twenty minutes ; green tea should not be boiled. It has 
the freshest taste when steeped in an earthen tea-pot which has 
been previously scalded, leaving it to stand by the fire ten or iil- 
teen minutes. Turn only a small quantity of scalding water 
upon the tea while steeping, but fill the pot wlien ready to take 
to the table. It is well to follow the English rule when prepar- 
ing tea for company — allow a spoonful of tea for each person, and 
" one for the pot." 

Mr. Brace, in his " (Social Life in Germany," mentions, that 
tea was passed, flavored with vanilla and rum ! 

" Do you know," said I, " you would utterly shock any of our 
tea-drinkers, by such a mixture as that?" 

"I know it is not English," answered a lady, "but you will 
find it all through Germany. We think the tea will not awaken 
us at night, if we sprinkle in rum." 

" One evening, when Sydney Smith was drinking tea wit.li 
Mrs. Austin, the servant entered the crowded room, with a boil- 
ing tea-kettle in his hand. It seemed doubtful, nay, impossible, 
he should make his way among the numerous groups, — but, on 
the first approach of the steaming kettle the crowd receded on all 
sides, Mr. Smith, among the rest, though carefully watching tlic 
progress of the lad to the table. ' I declare,' said he, addressing 
Mrs. Austin, ' a man who wishes to make his way in lif(; could 
do nothing better than go through the world with a boiling tea- 
kettle in his hand.' " — Life of Rev. Sydney Siirrn. 



TEA BISCUITS AND CAKES. 

Soda Biscuits. — To one quart of flour, add two tea-spoonsful 
of cream of tartar, one of soda, and a piece of butter the size of 
an eg<^. Sift the cream of tartar into the flour ; rub tlje biiltfT 



304 TEA. 

thoroughly into the same ; dissolve the soda in two-thirds of a 
pint of sweet milk, or warm water, and mix quickly ; bake im- 
mediately in a hot oven. 

Extra Soda Biscuits. — Another rule for soda biscuits is as 
follows : To one quart of flour add five tea-spoonsful of cream of 
tartar, two of soda, a little salt, and a piece of butter the size of an 
egg. Sift both cream of tartar and soda with the flour ; rub the 
butter in well, and mix with suflicient sweet milk to make a soft 
dough. Roll it out and cut it into cakes about an inch thick ; bake 
in a quick oven, and they will puft' up to twice their original size. 

Strawberry Biscuit. — Bake a soda biscuit after the first of the 
preceding rules, cutting it as large as a dining-plate ; open it 
while hot, and butter each half well ; spread strawberries upOn 
the lower half, sprinkling them thickly with sugar ; lay the upper 
half on, and butter the upper side : cover it with strawberries, 
finishing it nicely with white sugar, and eat it while warm. 

Patent Tea- Cakes. — Sift two tea-spoonsful of cream of tartar 
and two table-spoonsful of white sugar into one quart of flour ; 
beat two eggs, and add to them after it is melted a j)iece of but- 
ter the size of an egg ; mix these ingredients together with one pint 
of milk, and just as you are ready to put the mixture into the 
pan, add one tea-spoonful of soda, dissolved in a little milk ; bake 
in muffin-rings or in small tin pans. To be eaten while hot. 

Hi/e Drop Cakes. — To one pint of sour milk or buttermilk, 
add three eggs ; not quite a tea-spoonful of saleratus ; a little 
salt and rye-meal sufficient to make a stiff" batter. Bake in muffin- 
rings, or dr(|p the batter with a spoon on tin pans in the shape 
of small cakes ; twenty minutes will be sufficient for the baking. 

Rusk. — Eub half a pound of sugar into three pounds of flour. 



TEA BISCUITS AND CAKES. 305 



sift it, and add to it the following : half a pint of good yeast, 
six beaten eggs, and half a pint of sweet milk. Mix all together 
and knead the dough well. If it should not seem soft enough, 
add more milk ; it should be softer than bread. Make it at even- 
ings that it may stand long enough to become light. In the 
morning, if well risen, work six ounces of butter with it, cut it 
into small rolls, and bake. 

Eliza's Sponge Cake. — To three cups of flour, add three of su- 
gar, eight eggs, half a tea-spoonful of saleratus, and one table- 
spoonful of vinegar. 

Soda Sponge Cake. — Take one cup of sugar, one of flour, 
one tea-spoonful of cream of tartar, half a tea-spoonful of soda, 
three eggs, salt, and flavoring. Dissolve the soda in three table- 
spoonsful of milk. Mix the flour and cream of tartar together, 
then add the sugar, the beaten eggs, and flavoring ; and last, the 
soda and milk. 

Kate''s Sponge Cake. — Take six eggs, with their weight in 
sugar, and the w^eight of four of them in flour. Beat the whites 
to a froth ; stir the yelks with the sugar, and then putting them 
together, stir the whole ten minutes, gradually adding the flour. 
Flavor with vanilla, lemon, or nutmeg. Bake it in a quick oven, 
and do not move it while baking. 

Pound Cake. — One quart of flour, one and a half pints of 
sugar, two cups of butter, half a cup of sour milk, half a tea-spoon- 
ful of saleratus, and eight eggs. Flavor with lemon or vanilla. 

" A Pint is a Pound 
All the world round." 

Rich Fruit Cake. — -One pound of flour, one of sugar, one of 
butter, two of raisins, one of dried currants, quarter of a pound 
of citron, eight eggs, one gill of molasses, grated nutmeg, and 

50 



306 TEA 

other spice to your taste, and also one cup of brandy. Dissolve 
half a tea-spoonful of saleratus in half a cup of sweet milk, and 
stir it into the mixture before the fruit is added, which must be 
done the last thing before putting the cake in the oven. 

" lie that will not when he may, 
When he would, he shall have nay." — ^S^'. Froverh. 

Silver Cal'c. — Take the Avhitcs of eight eggs, two-thirds of a 
cup of butter, two cups of sugar, two of Hour, a little more than 
half a cup of sweet milk, lialf a tea-spoonful of soda, and one 
tea-spoonful of cream of tartar. 

'* L'anii de table est variable." 

Golden Ccd-e. — The yelks of eight eggs, half a cup of butter, 
one and a half cups of sugar, two of flour, a little more than hialf 
a cup of sweet milk, half a tea-spoonful of soda, and one tea- 
spoonful of cream of tartar. 

" Tell nie what thou eatcst, and I will toll thee what thou 
art."— M. Savakin. 

Federal Cale. — One pound of sugar, one pound of raisins, 
half a pound of butter, one pound of flour, one cup of sour milk, 
one tea spoonful of soda, one wine-glass of brandy, five eggs and 
a nutmeg. "When sweet milk is used, two tea-spoonsful of cream 
of tartar must be added. 

Lemon Cake. — One cup of butter, three cups of powdered 
sugar, four cups of flour, five eggs, one cup of sweet milk, one tea- 
spoonful of soi-la, and one grated lemon. 

Delicate Cuke. — One and a half cups of sugar, the same of 
flour, half a cup each of butter, milk, and corn-starch ; the 
whites of six eggs, one tea-spoonful of cream of tartar, and half 
a tea spoonful of soda. 



TEA BISCUITS AND CAKES. 30 7 



Mountain Cake. — One cup of butter, two of sugar, three of 
flour, one of milk, and six eggs ; one tea-spoonful of cream of 
tartar mixed with the flour, and half a tea-spoonful of soda put in 
dry the last thing. 

" "With a full stomach it is easy to praise fasting." 

Mrs. Ji^s Cocoanut Cake. — One cup of sugar, half a cup of but- 
ter, two-thirds of a cup of flour, the whites of eight eggs, one co- 
coanut grated, two spoonsful of cream of tartar, and half a spoon- 
ful of soda. The cocoanut must be added last. 

" Do not too much for your stomach, or it will abandon you,- 
for it is ungrateful." — M. D. Curry. 

Chj) Cake. — One cup of butter, two of sugar, three and a 
half of flour, four eggs, one cup of sweet milk ; one tea-spoonful 
of cream of tartar sprinkled in dry, and half a spoonful of soda 
dissolved in milk. If it be more convenient to use sour, instead 
^f sweet milk, then omit the cream of tartar. 

Jelli/ Cake. — One and a half cups of sugar, two and a half 
of flour, half a cup of butter, one of milk, one ogg, one spoonful 
of soda, and two of cream of tartar. Bake in thin cakes, and 
put them together, spreading currant jelly over the top of each 
while it is hot. 

" A hungry eye sleeps not." 

Cake without JEggs. — One tumbler of butter, three of sour 
milk, three of sugar, one of raisins, six of flour, and two tea- 
spoonsful of soda. Stir the butter and sugar well together, then 
add two tumblers of the milk, and to the third dissolve the soda. 
Flavor to your taste. 

Plain Cde. — One pound of flour, one of sugar, a quarter of 



r>08 TKA. 

a pound of butter, half a pint of milk, one tea-spoonful of salera- 
tus, and two eggs. 

Xclfu Cakv. — Four eups of Hour, two of sugar, one of buttei', 
one of ereaui, three eggs, a nutmeg, and half a tea-spoonful of 
saleratus. 

Baisln Cake. — Two cups of butter, three of sugar, six and a 
half of Hour, one of sour milk, one of brandy or rose water, one 
and a halt' pounds of raisins, one tea-spoonful of soda, live eggs, 
a nutmeg, and cloves. Stir the butter and sugar to a cream ; add 
the eggs well-beaten : thou the spice ; next the milk and six cups 
of tlour ; then brandy. Sift the soda dry into the mixture, and 
last, add the raisins. Do not wash the raisins, but rub them with 
a dry cloth, stone and chop them, and mix with them half a cup 
of the tlour. As soon as they are well stirred into the mixture, 
put the cake into the oven. 

In Spain and Portugal it is the practice, in drying grapes for 
raisins, to cut the stalks of the bunches half through, when the 
grapes are nearly ripe. Being thus suspended by their stalks 
upon the vine, the sun candies them, and when dry they are 
packed in boxes. 

Wash i no ton Pound Cah\ — Wash the salt from one i>oundol 
butter, and rub it till it is as soft as cream ; have ready one 
pound of sifted Hour, one of powdered sugar, and twelve eggs 
well beaten. Put alternately into the butter the sugar, tlour, jxnd 
froth of the eggs, continuing to beat them together, till all the in- 
gredients are in, and the cake quite light. Add grated lemon - 
peel, a nutmeg, and a gill of brandy. 

This cake makes a nice pudding either boiled or baked in a 
large mould, served with a sauce of butter, sugar, and wine. 

'• Toil with pain, and you will eat with pleasure.'' 



TKA IJISCUITS AND CAKES. HOO 

Almond Cake. — One cup of butter, ono and a half cupH oi' 
powdered sugar, tljree cups of /lour, lialf a cup of hoiu- milk, lialf 
a tea-spoon of soda, one pound of ahrujnds, anrl three eggs. I'lit 
the almond nic^ats in a howl of hot water, after wljicjh you ean 
easily rub the skins off. Slice them and chop them a little. When 
the cake is ready to pour into the pan, lay smootlily uj>on th(; bot- 
tom of the tin some of the cake mixture. Sjjrinkle tlje ahnonds 
upon it, cover lightly with more cake, th(;n almonds again, arjd so 
on until all is in, covering the top with the cak'', as the alrnondH 
would dry and burn if on the outside. 

The CreaUir, in ol^liging man to eat in order to live, invites 
him thereto by his appetite, and recompenses him for it by the 
pleasure." — M. Savarlv. 

iJrop Cake. — Five cups of flour, three of sugar, one of butter, 
one of cream, half a tea-spoonful of saleratus, and two eggs. Lay 
small muffin-rings on a baking-tin previously buttered, and drop 
your cake in each. 

Loaf Cake. — Two pounds of flour, and one pound ea<;li of su- 
gar, butter, and fruit ; half a pint of yeast, one pint of milk, and 
three eggs. 

7ea CVyi;-^. — Three cups of sugar, one of butter, one of milk, 
three eggs, and a little saleratus with flour to make it nearly as 
stiff as pjund cake. 

" No one can bake cakes for the whole worhi" 

Girifjer Cakea. — Two jx^unds of flour, half a pound of butter, 
three-quarters of a jxjund of sugar, four eggs, a table-sp^x^nful of 
ginger, and half a tea-spoonful of saleratus. 

Bh.ck CV/^e. — One fxjund each of sugar, flour, and butter, two 



J! 



310 TEA. 

pounds of raisins, two of Zante currants, and one of citron ; ten 
eggs, two dozen pounded cloves, besides mace and cinnamon. Stir 
the butter to a cream, beat the yelks light, mix them with the 
butter, add the sugar, spice, juice of a lemon and the grated peel, 
a glass of rose water or brandy, and the beaten whites of the eggs. 
Sprinkle flour over the fruit and put it in the last of all the ingre- 
dients. A gill of molasses improves the cake. 

Upon the walls of the ample but cheerless kitchen of New 
stead Abbey, Lord Byron's residence, was painted in large let- 
ters, " WASTE NOT, WANT NOT." 

Sally Lunn. — One quart of flour, one pint of sweet milk, 
two table-spoonsful of sugar, two eggs, one cup of butter, and a 
little salt. Sift into the flour two tea-spoonsful of cream of tar- 
tar ; add the mixed butter, and sugar, and salt, and last one tea- 
spoonful of soda dissolved in the milk. Bake twenty minutes in 
a quick oven. Sally Lunn is baked either in cups, or in shallow^ 
baking-tins. 

Soda Cake. — Beat together one tgg and one tea-spoonful of 
sugar. Mix with these two and a half table-spoonsful of melted 
butter and one cup of s^vveet milk, in which dissolve a tea-spoon- 
ful of soda. Add one pint of flour measured and then sifted, 
two tea-spoonsful of cream of tartar, and extract of lemon to suit 
the taste. Bake quickly in a hot oven. 

Cream Calce. — Three cups of sugar, three of thick sour 
cream, five eggs, two tea-spoonsful of soda, and two of salt. Add 
suflScient flour to make a batter, and flavor to the taste. Bake 
quickly in two three-pint basins, or in patty-pans. 

Slblett Cakes were cakes of dough, sweetened and flavored 
with caraway seed, which were made in some parts of Great Brit- 



TEA BISCUITS AND CAKES. 311 

ain and sent as presents after wheat sowing time, by farmers' 
wives, to their several friends and relatives. 



MrS' Grundy'' s Societij Cake. — Take a quart of light sponge, 
work with it three cups of sugar, one of butter, and three eggs, 
beaten slightly. Add a little saleratus, and half a pound of stoned 
raisins. Flavor to your taste ; stir in flour to give it consist- 
ence, and set it to rise in buttered tins. When light, bake in a 
slow oven. 

The Nutmeg is the kernel of the fruit of the nutmeg tree. 
It has three coverings ; the outer one, a fleshy pulp, gradually 
dries, and falling open discloses a scarlet membrane called 
Mace. After the fruit is plucked the outer covering is rejected, 
the mace is carefully removed, so as to break it as little as possi- 
ble; it is then flattened and dried in the sun, and afterwards 
sprinkled with sea water to contribute to its j^reservation. The 
nuts are dried either in the sun or in ovens, and smoked until the 
kernel rattles in the shell. They are then broken open, the ker- 
nels taken out and steeped a short time in lime and water. After 
which they are packed for exportation. The small round nutmeg 
is preferred to the oval. 

Vanity Balls. — Thicken the white of Qgg as stiflf as possible 
with flour ; roll the paste out very thin, cut out little cakes with a 
small canister top and bake quickly ; they will puff" up and form 
a pretty variety in making fancy dishes for a party. When eaten 
they appear to be nothing but air. 

Oxford Cookies {without eggs). — Six cups of flour, two of 
sugar, one of butter, one of cream, and one teaspoonful of sal- 
eratus. 

Rub the butter into the flour, then add the other ingredients. 
Eoll very thin and bake in a slow oven. 



312 TEA. 

Julie's Cookies. — Two cups of sugar, half a cup of butter, 
and one and a half cup of sweet milk, one teaspoonful of cream 
of tartar, half a teaspoonful of soda and two eggs. If you pre- 
fer to use sour milk omit the cream of tartar. Mix in sufficient 
flour to stiften. Bake in a quick oven. 

Minute Cookies (iviihout c^gs.) — One cup of sugar, half a 
cup of water, half a cup of butter, one pint of flour, and half a 
teaspoonful of saleratus or soda. Eub the sugar, butter, and flour 
together ; then add the soda dissolved in water. Eoll thin and 
bake in a quick oven. 

Ginger Xuts. — Two pounds ot flour, one of butter, half a 
pound of sugar, one pint of molasses, two ounces of ginger, one 
ounce of cinnamon, twelve dozen of allspice, and six dozen of 
cloves. Knead the do\igli a long time and roll it out thin. Cut 
it into very small cakes, and bake them in a moderately heated 
oven. 

'" Plenty makes dainty." 

Tea Ginger Cakes. — Two pounds of flour, half a pound of 
butter, three-quarters of a pound of sugar, four eggs, and as 
much ginger as suits your taste. Dissolve half a teaspoon of 
soda in a little milk or water, and put one spoonful of cream of 
tartar dry into the flour. Eoll out the dough when pretty soft, 
cut your cakes, and bake as quickly as possible. 

Cocaigne is the fairy land of cookery and gormandizing; the 
land where the viands are oftered all cooked, and the birds fall 
all roasted. 

Molasses Cookies. — One cup of molasses, half a cup each of 
sugar, butter, and sweet milk, and one table-spoonful of ginger. 



TEA BISCUITS AND CAKES. 313 



Add a little salt, and dissolve half a teaspoonful of saleratus in 
the milk. Work these ingredients together, adding only flour 
sufficient to enable you to roll the dough out easily. Bake in a 
moderately heated oven. 

JulkCs Cookies. — One cup each of sugar, molasses, and sweet 
milk, two-thirds of a cup of butter, two eggs, one teaspoonful of 
cream of tartar, half a teaspoonful of soda and a little salt. Put 
the cream of tartar in dry. 

" Hunger is worse than the plague." 

Olecokes. — To one pint of raised bread dough, add one cup of 
sugar, and half a cup of butter, with spice to your taste. Work 
these last well into the dough and set it to rise. When it be 
comes light, and while the lard for frying them in, is heating, 
roll out part of the dough, cut it into squares an inch and a half 
in size, lay two or three raisins in each, and close the dough over 
them to prevent any opening. Before frying, try the heat of the 
lard first with a small bit of dough ; if it rises immediately to 
the surface, the lard is sufficiently hot ; then drop in your balls. 

Jane's Krullers. — Two cups of sugar, one of sour milk, four 
eggs, four table-spoons of melted butter, and one teaspoon of sal- 
eratus. Dissolve the last in the milk. After the dough is well 
mixed with sufficient flour to stiffen, let it stand an hour before 
frying. If you have no sour milk, put a little vinegar in a cup of 
sweet milk, stirring it constantly until it thickens. Then add 
the saleratus. 



314 TEA. 



PEESERVES. 

" Good housewife provides, ere a sickness do come, 
Of sundry good things in her house to have some ; 
Conserves of barbary, quinces, and such 
AVith strops, that easeth the sickly so much ; 
Good broth and good keeping do much now and then, 
Good diet with wisdom best comforteth man." 

Thomas Tusseb. 

DIRECTIONS FOE THE USE OF AIE-TIGIIT OE SELF-SEALING CANS IN 

PEESEEVING FEUITS. 

We consider it one of the greatest improvements in cooking, 
that a way has been devised by which fruits may be kept for 
months, without requiring such large quantities of sugar, or such 
long boiling as was necessary after the old method. When fruits 
are properly prepared in the air-tight cans they retain in a great 
degree the flavor and aroma of fresh fruit, and are much less hurt- 
ful in the eating than the richer preserves. 

The best cans in use are the " Self-sealing Cans," prepared 
with a wdde metallic neck and screw cover, or with a cup-like 
flange around the top, which is to be filled with cement or wax, 
and the edge of the cover set into it. Besides the screw-cover 
and India-rubber under it, it is always necessary and safest to 
melt bees-wax and put it upon every point where the air may possi- 
bly get in ; for perfect exclusion of air is essential to the preserva- 
tion of the fruit. Glass bottles maybe filled with fruit, and if you 
stop them with a cork dipped in melted bees-wax, and pour a 
coat of it over and around the top, it will effectually exclude the 
air. Common earthen jars have also been used with success in 
preserving tomatoes, and we doubt not would answer for other 
fruits. The glazing upon them should be perfect without and 
within, and they should have closely-fitting covers. The two« 
quart size is most convenient, and the higher and narrower the 



PEESERVES. 315 



jars, the better. Take the tomatoes when fully ripe, drop them a 
moment into hot water, to assist you in taking off the .skin. Do 
not leave them in the water more than a minute ; boil and salt 
them without adding any water, and when they are cooked as 
you would have them for immediate use, scald your jars, and put 
the tomatoes in, filling the jars evenly, and putting the covers on 
loosely. Then set the jars into kettles of cold water which should 
come up high around them. When the water has boiled long 
enough to set the fruit to boiling, lift the lid a moment to allow 
the air and steam to escape. If the jar does not seem quite full, 
add enough of the cooked fruit to make it so, and close quickly 
that no air niay enter. Before pressing the cover down the last 
time wipe it clean and also the jar, and lay under it a round piece 
of cotton flannel or thick white cloth, a little larger than the lid. 
After this, take the jars out of the water, and pour melted bees- 
wax over the cover ; press the flannel down into any places wdiere 
the cover does not fit tightly, pouring wax over it until it is w^ell 
closed. After the jars are wiped dry, cover any imperfect places 
in the glazing with wax. Where they are intended to be kept a 
year or two, it is a good plan to rub a cloth dipped in melted wax 
all over the sides and bottoms of the jars. Do this while the jars 
are warm. Thus prepared, they are perfectly air-tight. 

These jars are excellent for the sour fruits ; — even better than 
the metallic cans ; but as they are not quite as convenient, the 
latter are to be preferred for the sweet fruits, as peaches, pears, 
berries, sweet cherries, etc. 

Strawheii'ies. — To one pound of fruit put a pound of white 
sugar ; boil them five minutes ; slvim them and put them in your 
jars or cans ; set the latter into jars of cold water and finish as in 
the preceding directions. 

Isaac Walton says of strawberries, " Doubtless God could 
have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did." 



316 TEA. 

Dr. Jolinson was very fond of strawberries and cream, also of 
gooseberries, and he says of these latter which were saved on a 
bush for him, that he was neither too proud nor too wise to gather 
them. 

Cherries. — Stone the cherries, and to one pound of the fruit 
add a pound of sugar. Let them heat gradually, stirring the 
whole occasionally Avhile the sugar is dissolving. Skim it, and 
take out the cherries as soon as they are well heated through ; 
make the sirup as clear as possible by skimming ; put all into 
the jars or cans, and finisn according to directions previously 
given. 

Gooseberries and Grapes. — These should be preserved green 
after the above rule for cherries. 

Raspberries and BlacTcberries. — To one pound of fruit put 
half a pound of sugar, and then proceed as with cherries ; put 
them up in air-tight jars or cans after the directions given. 

Peaches. — The Morris Whites are the best for preserving. 
Drop the peaches in hot water for a few minutes, this will enable 
you to rub the skins off easily. Halve or slice them, take out the 
stones, weigh them ; to one pound of fruit add half a pound of 
sugar, and cook them a little till the sugar is well dissolved and 
the fruit heated through. Skim it well ; heat your jars and put 
the whole in; then set them into kettles of cold water which 
should come up high around them. Proceed then as in the pre- 
ceding directions. 

For preserving peaches whole, — rub the skins off, weigh them, 
and to every pound of fruit allow a pound of sugar. Dissolve the 
sugar in a little water, skim it clear ; then put in the fruit to 
boil ; take them out when soft, and strain the sirup through a 



PRESERVES. S\1 



thin cloth that it may be perfectly clear. Boil the sirup until it 
is sufficiently thick, then mix all together, and put up the sweet- 
meats in jars, air-tight. 

Siqoerior Pear Sweetmeats. — Peel and weigh your pears ; boil 
them slowly in water enough to cover them, having in the same 
some scraped ginger-root, which gives a fine flavor to the pear. 
When soft, take them out carefully upon a platter to drain ; strain 
the liquor and add to it a pound of good white sugar for every 
pound of fruit ; stir it well, beat the white of an egg, drop it in ; 
skim until entirely clear, then add the pears, boil half an hour, 
take up the fruit, and put them in jars, turning the sirup over 
them. After two or three days, pour off the sirup, scald it again, 
and while warm pour it over them. If it then appear thick, 
close your jars, tightly sealing them to exclude the air, and put 
them away in a cool, dry place. 

If you have ginger-sweetmeats, it is very nice to use two or 
three pieces of it, instead of the ginger-root, for flavoring the 
liquid. If the pears are large, it is best to halve them ; if not, 
they look handsome whole. 

" The fruit on the far side of the edge is the sweetest." 

Preserved Quinces. — Wipe the quinces clean ; remove the 
decayed spots, and then pare them thin, saving the skins care- 
fully ; take out the cores, which put on with the skins to boil in 
considerable water. Let them boil until tender, so that by strain- 
ing them you can retain all the mucilage. Strain them through 
a thick cloth ; weigh your quinces, and put them on to boil in 
this mucilage, adding also water to cover them. They should 
boil until tender enough to be pricked with a straw, then take 
them out carefully on platters. Strain the liquor again, and wash 
Ijhe kettle that it may be free from all sediment. 

Now put to this sirup a pound of good sugar for every pound 



318 TEA. 

of fruit ; set it over the fire to heat gradually, stirring it occa- 
sionally until the sugar is dissolved. Skim it until clear, then 
add the fruit, and let it boil some time until the sirup seems to 
have penetrated the fruit. 

If the sirup seem thin, take out the fruit again, and let 
the former boil down until of proper consistency ; then put the 
fruit back again that it all may be well mixed ; put all in 
your jars, filling them full ; lay a piece of white paper upon the 
surface, closely fitting the jar, and close the latter as tightly as 
possible. 

Cwrants. — To two pounds of currants, put one pound of 
raisins and three of sugar. Cook them all together taking out 
the fruit soon ; boil the sirup well, then add the fruit again, and 
take all up in jars. If you prefer lemons instead of raisins with 
the currants, add two or three sliced. Currants are good when 
prepared either with lemons or raisins. 

" Pine-apple is great. She is indeed almost too transcendant 
— a delight, if not sinful, yet so like sinning, that really a tender- 
conscienced person would do well to pause — too ravishing for 
mortal taste, she w^oundeth and excoriate th the lijjs that approach 
her. Like lovers' kisses, she biteth. She is a pleasure border- 
ing on pain from the fierceness and insanity of her relish, — but 
she stoppeth at the palate — she meddleth not with the appetite, 
and the coarsest hunger might barter her consistently for a mut- 
ton chop." 

Pine-a2')ples j^i'cserved. — In selecting the fruit, choose those 
of a yellowish color. Pare off the outer coverings, then with a 
sharp penknife cut out the " eyes," as they are called. Slice 
them as evenly as possible, removing with your knife the hard 



PEESERVES. 319 



tough substance from the centre of each slice. Weigh your fruit, 
and then to each pound of fruit add one pound of sugar. 

Before putting your sugar to the fruit, boil the pine-apples in 
a small quantity of water until the fruit is soft, then take it out 
and skim the liquid ; add to it the sugar, let it dissolve, and 
when hot, skim it clear and add the fruit. They will not need 
to cook long after this. When cool, put it into jars ; if the 
thickest of the sirup settle at the bottom of the jar, stir it up 
with a spoon. 

Preserved Citron or Watermelon. — Cut the citron into such 
shapes as you like, peel it nicely and weigh it ; then boil it in 
water sufficient to cover it, throwing a few peach leaves into the 
water to give a green look to the citron ; also a little bit of alum 
to harden it. When the fruit is tender enough to prick easily, 
take it up, throw the water away, and to fresh water slice a lemon 
or two as you may fancy ; boil this till tender, take it out, and 
add the sugar to the water, a pound for every pound of the fruit ; 
make a sufficient quantity of sirup to cover the fruit, cook it well, 
and when clear add the fruit and lemons ; let them get well pen- 
etrated with the sirup ; take the fruit up in jars, boil the sirup 
until thick, then pour it over the fruit. A nice dish of citron may 
be made from the dried imported fruit. Boil it in a little water 
until it pricks tender ; then take it out, and make a sirup of three- 
quarters or half a pound of sugar to a pound of the fruit, and 
pour it over it. To prepare citron for cake, preserve the cit- 
ron according to the rules before mentioned, but instead of closing 
the jars, leave them open for the air to enter. The preserve will 
then dry gradually, and form a very excellent substitute for the 
West India citron, sold for this purpose. 

Preserved Piuiipkin. — To seven pounds of pumpkin take five 
of sugar, four lemons, and two ounces of green ginger-root. Cut the 



320 TEA. 

pumpkin in slices half an inch in thickness, of any form you 
fancy, — a square, or a diamond shape does very well. Boil the 
pumpkins in the sirup until tender ; then take up the pieces. 
Slice the lemon and ginger root very thin, and scald them in a 
little clear water, after which add them to the sirup. Boil the 
latter down until it is clear enough to keep without fermenting, 
and then add the pumpkins to it. 

Oranges preserved. — Slice them alTaboil them in a little water 
until the skins prick easily. Take them out and add to the 
water one pound of white sugar to every pound of the oranges. 
Cook the sirup well, skimming it until clear ; put the oranges in 
it again for a short time, then take the whole up in the jars, ex- 
cluding the air according to the directions given at the head of 
this section. 

.y 

Phons. — For preserving, take good large plums ; pour boiling 
water over them to assist in removing the skins, but do not leave 
them in the water. For every pound of plums dissolve a pound 
of sugar in a little water ; when skiiiimed clear- add the plums ; 
boil until done, take them out careful-H4hat they may not break ; 
boil the sii'up some time, then put back the plums a few moments 
to mix all together ; take the whole up in jars, sealing them 
air-tight. ' ,.. 

Stewed Prunes. — Wash the prunes in tepid water several 
times changed ; to one pound add one pint of water, and boil 
very gently until tender, which may require more than two hours. 
During the boiling, keep them carefully covered. Sugar to suit 
the taste should be added after they have boiled about half the 
above time. 

Bal-ed Quinces. — Baked quinces are nice when eaten warm ; 



PEESERVES. 32] 



remove the skins after they are cooked, slice them and serve with 
cream and sugar. 

Boiled Pears. — Boil them whole, without peeling, until they 
are tender, adding to them, when half-done, sufficient sugar to 
sweeten to your taste. This dish, like the preceding, is nice eaten 
warm for dessert or at tea. 

Gooseberries or Currants hottled. — Gather them when of full 
size, but still green ; fill the bottles nearly full, and turn in clear, 
soft water ; then place the bottles in a kettle of cold water over 
the fire. Keep them on a few moments after the water comes to 
the boil, then cork and seal them, and bury them in a cool cellar 
with their necks downward. 

Whe7ice various Fruits were obtained. — The citron came from 
Media, the pomegranate from Cyprus, the plum from Syria, the 
peach and walnut from Persia, the cherry and filbert from Pontus, 
the chestnut from Castana in Asia Minor, the quince from Sidon, 
the olive and fig from Greece, as are the best apples and pears, 
though also found wild, in France and even in Great Britain. The 
apricot is from Armenia. It was first known in Europe in the 
sixteenth century ; an old French writer remarks that it was 
" originally no larger than a damson ; our gardeners have im- 
proved it to the perfection of its present richness and size." 

Fruits ill Henry Eighties time. — "Among the items in the 
privy-purse expenses of Henry VIII., in 1532, are mentioned re- 
wards paid to sundry poor women for bringing the King presents 
of apples, pears, barberries, peaches, artichokes, filberts, and other 
fruits. His gardeners from Beaulieu, Greenwich, and Hampton, 
bring him grapes, oranges, cucumbers, melons, cherries, straw- 
berries, pomegranate?, citrons, plums, and lettuces ; in short, al- 
21 



322 TEA. 

most every kind of luxury that could be supplied for the royal 
table in modern times." — Miss Strickland. 

" Bear me, Pomona I to thy Citron groves ; 
To where the Lemons and the piercing Lime, 
With the deep Orange, glowing through the green, 
Their lighter glories blend. Lay me reclined 
Beneath the spreading Tamarind thai shakes, 
Fann'd by the breeze, its fever cooling fruit. 
* * * * Lead me thro' the maze 

Embowering endless, of the Indian Fig ; 
Oh, stretched amid these orchards of the sun, 
Give me to drain the Cocoa! 8 milky bowl. 
And from the Palm to draw its fresh'ning wine ! 
•^ * " * Nor, on its slender twigs, 

Low bending, be the full Pomegranate scorned ; 
Nor, creeping thro' the woods, the gelid race 
Of hervies. Oft in humble station dwells 
Unboastful worth, above fastidious pomp. 
Witness, thou best Anana, thou the pride 
Of vegetable life, beyond whate'er 
The Poets imaged in the golden age. 
Quick let me strip thee of thy tufty coat. 
Spread thy ambrosial stores, and feast with Jove." — Thomson; 



SUPPEES AND FETES. 



The word Supper has various significations. It applies to the 
third meal of the Saxons and Normans in Old England, taken at 
five o'clock, -which resembled the dinner both in quality and 
abundance ; only, if it were possible, exceeding it in the latter 
particular. It applies also to the evening meal of the laboring 
classes of that and other countries, — which consists of hot meats 
and vegetables, and is eaten at sunset or just at evening, when the 
day's labors are over. Among the rural entertainments for this 
class which W'cre formerly so general in Britain, were the harvest- 



VARIOUS SUPPERS, FETES, ETC. 323 

siqoper, the mel-siipjoer, and the churn or Jcern-siqipei-. These were 
very cheerful occasions, serving to enliven the toil of the laborers, 
and stimulate them to further exertior . Mel signified meal ; it 
was also the name of the instrument by which the corn was re- 
duced to meal in a mortar. The churn-supper was provided when 
all w'as shorn, but the mel when all was got in. At the churn 
supper a great quantity of cream was produced in a churn, and 
circulated in dishes to each of the rustic company, who ate it with 
bread. 

Another view of supper belongs to that state of society where 
the dinner is taken after the close of the day. Here the supper 
is provided at a late hour in the evening, sometimes towards mid- 
night, and consists either of cold roast meats, — game hot or cold, 
or oysters, — salads, sandwiches, biscuits, etc., w-ith various bev- 
erages. To this class belong the " soupers " w^hich the French 
delight in, and which they render so attractive, not by the profu- 
sion of the table, but by their vivacity and conversational abilities. 
Of Madame Geoffrin's " petit soupers " of the last century, Mar- 
montel says : " There were no luxuries ; a fowl, spinach, and pan- 
cakes, constituting the usual fare. The society was not numer- 
ous ; there met together only five or six of her particular friends 
who were suited to each other, and therefore enjoyed themselves." 

The third form of supper is the entertainment given at even- 
ing parties, balls, etc., at which a greater display is allowable 
than at any other. Confectionery in most elegant forms and de- 
vices is exhibited, and contributes, with fruits and flowers, to cap- 
tivate the eye and delight the other senses. 

It is not our intention to treat of supper in detail, since all 
the dishes which belong to it in either of the acceptations above 
considered, have been already described in this work. We sub- 
join, however, some anecdotes connected with it and a few fetes 
for the amusement of our readers ; for their instruction, we Avill re- 
mind them of the advice which Don Quixote gave Sancho Panza : 



324 TEA. 

" Eat little at dinner and less at siqyper, for the health of the 
whole body is tempered in the laboratory of the stomach." 

Trial of Feasting. — " ' What rare sporte we had,' sayth 
father, 'one Christmas, with a mummery we called the " Triallof 
Feasting." Dinner and supper were brought up before my Lord 
Chief Justice, charg'd with murder. Their accomplices were 
Plum-pudding, Mince-pye, Surfeit, Drunkenness, and such like. 
Being condemned to hang by y® neck, T, who was Supper, stuft 
out with I cannot tell you how manie pillows, began to call lusti- 
lie for a confessor ; and on his stepping forthe, commenct a list 
of all y'' fitts, convulsions, spasms, payns in y'' head and so 
forthe, I had inflicted on this one and t'other. ' Alas, good 
father,' says I, * King John lay'd his death at my door ; indeed, 
there's scarce a royall or noble house that hath not a charge 
against me ; and I'm sorilie afraid (giving a poke at a fat priest 
tliat sate at my lord cardinal's elbow) I shall have the death of 
that holy man to answer for.' 

" Erasmus laughed and sayd, ' A monk hearing Willibald 
Pirkheimer praise me somewhat lavishly to another, could not 
avoid expressing by his looks his dissatisfaction ; and on being 
askt whence they arose, confest he c*^ not with patience hear y® 
commendation of a man so notoriously fond of eating fowls. 
" Well, then," quoth Willibald, " tell me, now, dear father, is it 
then a sin to eat fowls ? " '* Most assuredly it is," says the monk, 
'if you indulge in them to gluttony." " Ah, if, if! " quoth Pirk- 
heimer. ' If stands stiff,' as the Lacedemonians told Philip of 
Macedon, and 'tis not by eating bread alone, my dear father, you 
have acquired that huge paunch of yours. I fancy if all the fat 
fowls that have gone into it, coulde raise their voices and cackle at 
once, they would make noise enow to drown y® drums and trum- 
pets of an army." Well may Luther say,' continued Erasmus, 
laughing, ' that their fasting is easier to them than our eating to 



YAKIOUS SUPPERS, FETES, ETC. 325 

US ; seeing tliat every man Jack of tliem hath to his evening 
meal two quarts of beer, a quart of wine, and as manie as he can 
eat of spice cakes, the better to relish his drink. ' " — Household 
o/SiR Thomas More. 

SUPPERS OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT. 

It was not till late in the evening, and when night was come 
on, that he took his meal, and then he eat in a recumbent posture. 
He was very attentive to his guests at table, that they might be 
served equally, and none neglected. His entertainments lasted 
many hours ; but lengthened out by conversation rather than 
drinking, every cup introducing some long discourse. His con- 
versation in many respects was more agreeable than that of most 
princes, for he was not deficient in the graces of society. 

He had so little regard for delicacies, that when the choicest 
fruit and fish were brought him from distant countries and seas, 
he would send some to each of his friends, and he very often left 
none for himself. Yet there was always a magnificence at his 
table, and the expense rose with his fortune, till it came to ten 
thousand drachmas for one entertainment. There it stood ; and 
he did not suffer those that invited him to exceed that sum. 

Julius Caesar was very indifferent with respect to diet. Hap- 
pening to sup with Valerius Leo, a friend of his, at Milan, there 
was sweet ointment poured upon the asparagus, instead of oil. 
Caesar ate of it freely, notwithstanding, and afterwards rebuked 
his friends for expressing their dislike of it. " It was enough," 
said he, " to forbear eating, if it was disagreeable to you ; he 
who finds fault with any rusticity, is himself a rustic." 

RIVAL FEASTS OF ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 

" Cleopatra was no sooner landed than Antony sent to com- 
pliment and invite her to supper. But she answered his depu- 



326 TEA. 

ties, that she should be very glad to regale him herself, and that 
she would expect him. in the tents she had caused to be got 
ready upon the banks of the river. He made no difficulty to go 
thither and found the preparations of a magnificence not to be 
expressed. The lights were disposed with "abundance of art, and 
the brilliancy was such that they made midnight seem bright day. 

" Antony invited her in turn for the next day. But in spite of 
his utmost endeavors to exceed her in this entertainment, he con- 
fessed himself overcome, as well in the splendor, as disposition 
of the feast ; and was the first to rally the parsimony and plainness 
of his own, in comparison with the sumptuousness and elegance 
of Cleopatra's. 

" Great feasts were made every day. Some new banquet 
still outdid that which preceded it, and she seemed to study to 
excel herself. Antony, at a feast to which she had invited him, 
was astonished at seeing the riches disjDlayed on all sides, and 
especially at the great number of gold cups enriched wdth jewels, 
and wrought by the most excellent workmen. She told him with 
a disdainful air, that those were but trifles, and made him a 
present of them. The next day the banquet was still more 
sirperb. Antony, according to custom, had brought a good num- 
ber of guests along with him, all officers of rank and distinction. 
She gave them all the vessels and plate of gold and silver used at 
the entertainment." 

In this absurd manner was the strife kept up, until Cleopatra 
declared she "could spend a million on herself; " upon which she 
dissolved, and drank off a pearl, worth nearly that money ! 

SUPPEES OF THE COUNT Olf FOIX IN 1350. 

" At midnight, when the Count of Foix came out of his cham- 
ber into the hall to supper, he had ever before him twelve torches 
burning, borne by twelve valets standing before his table all sup- 
per. They gave a great light, and the hall was ever full of 



7AKI0US SUPPERS, FETES, ETC. 32'7 

knights and squires, and many other tables were dressed to sup 
who would. There was none should speak to him at his table 
but if he were called. His meat was lightly — wild fowl, the legs 
and wings only, and in the day he did eat and drink but little. 
He had great pleasure in harmony of instruments ; he would have 
songs sung before him. He would gladly see conceits and fan- 
tasies at his table, and when he had seen it, then he would send 
it to the other tables bravely ; all this I considered and advised. 
" Gaston, his son, was used to set down all his service and 
' to make the essay ;' that is, to taste the dishes, to prevent the 
poisoning of the Prince." — Froissart. 

The most luxurious gourmand of the reign of James the First 
of England, was the Earl of Carlisle, (Sir James Hay.) He gave 
a banquet to the French ambassador, when fish of such huge size 
were served up, that he was obliged to have dishes made ex- 
pressly for them. 

The Earl obtained notoriety as the " introducer of ante- 
su2)2^ers ; " that is, at the first entrance of the guests, the board 
was covered with dishes as high as a tall man could reach, filled 
with the choicest viands, cold ; when the company were seated, 
these dishes were removed to make way for equally numerous and 
corresponding service of hot meats 

ENTEETAINMENTS IN THE TIME OF CHAELES THE FIRST. 

" There was a costly magnificence in the fetes at York House, 
the residence of the Duke of Buckingham, of which few are 
aware ; they eclipsed the splendor of the French court ; for Bas- 
sompierre, in one of his despatches, declares he had never wit- 
nessed similar magnificence. He describes the vaulted apart- 
ments, the ballets at supper which were proceeding between the 
services, with various representations and theatrical changes, the 
order of the tables, and the music." 



328 TEA. 

" The following extract from a manuscript letter of tlie time, 
conveys a lively account of one of these fetes : 

"'Last Sunday, at night, the Duke's grace entertained their 
majesties and the French ambassador at York House, with great 
feasting and show, where all things came down in clouds ; 
amongst which, one rare device was a representation of the 
French King and the two Queens, with their chiefest attend- 
ants, and so to the life, that the Queen's majesty could name 
them. 

" ' It was four o'clock in the morning before they parted, and 
then the King and Queen and others lodged there. 

" ' Some estimate this entertainment at four or five thousand 
pounds.' At another time ' the King and Queen were entertained 
at sujiper at Gerbier, the Duke's painter's house, which could not 
stand him in less than a thousand pounds.' 

"The literary Duchess of Newcastle mentions that an enter- 
tainment of this sort, which the Duke gave to Charles the First, 
cost her lord between four and five thousand pounds. 

" Such were the magnificent entertainments, which though 
modern refinement may afifect to despise them, modern sj^lendor 
never reached, even in thought." — D'Israeli. 

A MAY DAY COLLATION GIYEX BY AX ENGLISH AMBASSADOR IN 
CROMWELL'S TIME TO CHRISTINA, QUEEN OF SWEDEN. 

" This being May-Day, Whitelocke, according to the invitation 
he had made to the Queen, put her in mind of it, that as she was 
his mistress, and this May-day, he was by the custom of England 
to wait upon her to take the air, and to treat her with some little 
collation, as her servant. 

" The Queen said the weather was very cold, yet she was very 
willing to bear him company after the English mode. With the 
Queen were Woolfeldt, Tott, and five of her ladies. Whitelocke 



VARIOUS SUPPERS, TETES, ETC. 329 

brought them to his collation which he had commanded his ser- 
vants to 2)repare in the best manner they could, and altogether 
after the English fashion. 

" At the table with the Queen sat La Belle Comtesse, the Count- 
esse Gabriel Oxenstierne, Woolfeldt, Tott, and Whitelocke; the 
other ladies sat' in another room. Their meat was such fowl as 
could be gotten, dressed after the English fashion, and with Eng- 
lish sauces, creams, puddings, custards, tarts, tanseys, English 
apples, bon chretien pears, cheese, butter, neat's tongue, potted 
venison, and sweetmeats, brought out from England, as his sack 
and claret also was ; his beer was also brewed, and his bread 
made by his own servants in his own house, after the English 
manner; the Queen seemed highly pleased with this treatment; 
some of her company said, she did eat and drink more at it than 
she used to do in three or four days at her own table. 

" The entertainment was as full and noble as the place would 
afford, and as Whitelocke could make it ; and so well ordered and 
contrived, that the Queen said she had never seen any like it ; she 
was pleased so far to play the good housewife as to inquire how 
the butter could be so fresh and sweet and yet brought out of 
England. Whitelocke, from his cooks, satisfied her majesty's in- 
quiry, that they put the salt butter into milk, where it lay all night, 
and the next day would eat fresh and sweet as this did, and as 
any butter new made ; and commended her majesty's good house- 
wifery, who to express her contentment to this collation, was full 
of pleasantness and gayety of spirits, both in supper time and 
afterwards ; among other frolics she commanded Whitelocke to 
teach her ladies the English salutation, which after some pretty 
defences, their lips obeyed, and Whitelocke most readily. She 
highly commended AVhitelocke's music of the trumpets, which 
sounded all supper time, and her discourse was all of mirth and 
drollery, wherein Whitelocke endeavored to answer her, and the 
rest of the company did their parts. 



330 TEA. 

"It was late before she returned to the castle, whither White- 
locke waited on her, and she discoursed a little with him about 
his business and the time of his audience, and gave him many 
thanks for his noble treatment of her and her company. 

" Two days after this entertainment, Mons. Woolfeldt being 
invited by Whitelocke, told him that the Queen was extremely 
pleased with his entertainment of her. Whitelocke excused the 
meanness of it for her majesty ; Woolfeldt replied, that both the 
Queen and all her company esteemed it as the handsomest and 
noblest that they ever saw ; and the Queen after that would drink 
no other wine but Whitelocke's, and kindly accepted the neat's 
tongues, potted venison, and other cakes, which upon her com- 
mendation of them, Whitelocke sent unto her majesty." — Gentle- 
mail's Mag., 1822. 

DEAN SWIFT'S EECKONING WITH HIS GUESTS. 

" One evening," relates Pope, " Gay and I went to see him ; 
you know how intimately we were all acquainted. On our com- 
ing in, * Heyday, gentlemen,' says the doctor, ' what's the mean- 
ing of this visit 1 How came you to leave the great lords that 
you are so fond of, to come hither to see a poor dean^ ' * Because we 
would rather see you than any of them !' ' Ay ; any one that did 
not know you so well as I do might believe you. But since you 
are come I must get some supper for you, I suppose.' 'No, doc- 
tor, we have supped already.' ' Supped already ; that's impossible ! 
why 'tis not eight o'clock yet. That's very strange ; but if you 
had not supped I must have got something for you. — Let me 
see ; what should I have had % A couple of lobsters ; ay, that 
would have done very well — two shillings ; tarts, a shilling ; but 
you will drink a glass of wine with me, though you supped so 
much before your usual time only to spare my pocket '? ' * No, we 
would rather talk with you than drink with you.' ' But if you 



VARIOUS SUPPERS, FETES, ETC. 331 

had supped with me, as in all reason you ought to have done, you 
must then have drank with me. A bottle of wine, two shillings ; 
two and two are four, and one are five ; just two and sixpence a 
piece. There, Pope, there's half a crown for you ; and there's 
another for you, sir ; for I won't save any thing by you, I am de- 
termined.' This was all said and done with his usual serious- 
ness on such occasions ; and in spite of every thing we could say 
to the contrary, he actually obliged us to take the money." 

A rilTE GIVEN BY THE PPvINCE REGENT AT CAELETON PALACE. 

An evening party or fete, given by the Prince Kegent at 
Carleton Palace, in 1811, will be within the recollection of many 
of our readers ; nothing so gorgeous had then been heard of. 

The tables were so arranged, branching off from a centre in 
various temporary erections, that at supper the Prince could see 
all his company, whilst they in return had a view of their royal 
and magnificent host. His own table, accommodated one hun- 
dred and twenty-two persons, out of the two thousand who re- 
ceived cards of invitation. 

The great novelty in this gorgeous entertainment, was a purl- 
ing stream of pure water running down the centre of the supper- 
table which flowed from a silver fountain at the head, and fell in 
a cascade at the outlet. The mimic banks were adorned with moss 
and flowers, and small gold and silver fish were seen glistening 
here and there in the stream, which was crossed at intervals with 
little fantastic bridges. 

A PARISIAN SURPRISE-BANQUET TO LA FAYETTE. 

" Just before La Fayette's death, he was invited in company 
with the American ambassador, and several other Americans, to 
the house of that, distinguished Frenchman, Marbois, who was 
the French secretary of Legation here during the revolution. 



332 TEA. 

At the supper hour the company were shown into a room which 
contrasted quite oddly with the Parisian elegance of the other 
apartments where they had spent the evening. A low boarded, 
painted ceiling, with large beams, a single small, uncurtained 
window, with numerous small doors, as well as the general style 
of the whole, gave, at first, the idea of the kitchen, or largest room 
of a Dutch or Belgian farm-house. On a long rough table was a 
repast, just as little in keeping with the refined kitchens of Paris 
as the room was with its architecture. It consisted of a large 
dish of meat, uncouth-looking pastry, and wine in decanters and 
bottles, accompanied by glasses and silver mugs, such as indicat- 
ed other habits and tastes than those of modern Paris. 'Do you 
know where we now are ? ' said the host to La Fayette and his 
companions. They paused for a few minutes in surprise. They 
had seen something like this before, but when and where? 'Ah, 
the seven doors and one window,' said La Fayette, 'and the 
silver camp-goble ts, such as the marshals of France used in my 
youth ! We are at Washington's head-quarters on the Hudson 
fifty years ago!"' — Account ()iren bt/ one of the Guests, related 
b>/ G. C. Verplaxck. 

SYDNEY SMITH'S SUPPEKS. 

" The pleasantest society at his house was to be found in the 
little suppers which he established once a week ; giving a gen- 
eral invitation to about twenty or thirty persons, who used to 
come as they pleased. At these suppers, there was no attempt at 
display, nothing to tempt the palate; but they were most eagerly 
sought after ; there was no restraint but that of good taste, no 
formality, a happy mixture of men and women, — the foolish and 
the wise, the grave and the gay." 

EVENING MEAL OF CEDEIC THE SAXON. 

" In a hall the height of which was greatly disproportioned 



VARIOUS SUPPERS, FUTES, ETC. 333 

to its extreme length and width, a long oaken table, formed of 
planks rough-hewn from the forest, and which had scarcely re- 
ceived any polish, stood ready prepared for the evening meal of 
Cedric the Saxon. The roof composed of beams and rafters, had 
nothing to divide the apartment from the sky excepting the plank- 
ing and thatch ; there was a huge fireplace at either end of the 
hall, hut as the chimneys were constructed in a very clumsy man- 
ner, at least as much of the smoke found its way into the apart- 
ment, as escaped by the proper vent. The floor was composed of 
earth mixed with lime, trodden into a hard substance. For about 
one quarter of the length of the apartment, the floor was raised 
by a step, and this space, called a dais, was occupied only by the 
principal members of the family and visitors of distinction. For 
this purpose, a table richly covered with scarlet cloth was placed 
transversely across the platform, from the middle of which, ran 
the longer and lower board, at which the domestics and inferior 
persons fed, down towards the bottom of the hall. The whole 
resembled the form of the letter T. 

" Massive chairs and settees of carved oak were placed upon 
the dais, and over these seats and the more elevated table was 
fastened a canopy of cloth, which served in some degree to protect 
the dignitaries who occupied that distinguished station from the 
weather, and especially from the rain. The walls of this upper 
end of the hall, as far as the dais extended, were covered witli 
hangings or curtains, and upon the floor there was a carpet of 
rather gaudy coloring. Over the lower range of table the roof 
had no covering; the rough plastered walls were left bare, and 
the rude earthen floor was uncarpeted ; tlie board was not cover- 
ed with a cloth, and rude massive benches supplied the place of 
chairs. 

" In the centre of the upper table were placed two chairs 
more elevated than the rest, for the master and mistress of the 
family, who presided over the scene of hospitality, and from doing 



334 TEA. 

so derived their Saxon title of honor, which signifies ' the di- 
viders of Breiid.' 

" One of these seats was at present occupied hy Cedric the 
Saxon. Two or three servants of a superior order, stood behind 
their master upon the dais, the rest occupied the lower part of 
the halL Other attendants there were of a different description ; 
two or three large and shaggy greyhounds ; as many slow hounds, 
and one or two smaller dogs. 

" The Saxon thane was impatient for the presence of his fa- 
^'orite clown, whose jests, such as they were, served as a sort of 
seasoning to his evening meal, and to the deep draughts of ale 
and wine with which he was in the habit of accompanying it. 
Added to this, Cedric had fasted since noon — a cause of irrita- 
tion common- to country squires both in ancient and modern 
times. 

" ' Oswald, broach the wine cask ; place the best mead, the 
mightiest ale, the richest jMorat, the most sparkling cider, the 
most odoriferous pigments upon the board; fill the largest horns /^ 

" Strangers arrive and are seated at the table. Sioine^s flesh, 
dressed in several modes aj^peared on the lower part of the board ; 
as also that of fowls, deer, goats, and hares, and various kinds of 
fish, together with huge loaves and cakes of bread, and sundry 
confections made of fruits and honey. The smaller sorts of 
wild/o«7, of which there was abundance, were not served in plat- 
ters, but brought in upon small wooden spits,' and offered by the 
domestics, who bore them to each guest in succession, who cut 
from them such a portion as he pleased. Beside each person of 
rank was placed a goblet of silver ; the lower board was accom- 
modated with large drinking horns.' — 

" Wamba had taken his appropriated seat upon a chair, the 
back of which was decorated with two ass's ears, and which was 
placed about tw^o steps behind that of his master, who from time to 
time suppl ied him with victuals from his own trencher. Here he sat 



VARIOUS SUPPERS, FETES, ETC. 335 



with his eyes half shut, yet watching with alertness every oppor- 
tunity to exercise his licensed foolery." — Walter Scott. 

THE FEAST OF THE BEEMICIDE. 

" Who can cloy the hungry edge of appetite 
By bare imagination of u feast." — Siiakspeare. 

"My youngest brother, Shacahac, was so poor, that he was 
reduced to beg ; but having some humor, he contrived to fare 
tolerably well. One evening he applied for alms at the palace of 
a Bermicide, when the porter said to him, ' Go in, and find out 
our master; he will not send you away dissatisfied.' 

*' Thus encouraged, my brother entered the palace, and strolled 
from room to room, till he came into a hall, adorned with paint- 
ings of gold, azure foliage, and splendidly furnished. At the 
upper end of this room he saw a venerable man with a long, 
white beard, whose appearance carried with it an air of dignity. 
My brother concluded, as was the truth, that it was the master of 
the house: he saluted him, therefore, with the greatest respect. 
The Bermicide received him kindly, and asked him what be 
wanted. Shacabac, in an humble manner, related his necessities, 
and besought relief ; concluding his sad tale, by declaring that 
he had not eaten any thing the whole day. 

" The Bermicide, when my brother ended, put his hands to his 
garments, as if he would have rent his clothes. ' Is it possible,' 
said he, * that such" a man as you can be as poor as you say ? this 
must not be ; but come, as you have not eaten to-day, you must 
be ready to die with hunger ; ho, boy ! bring in the water to 
wash our hands, and order supper immediately.' Shacabac was 
confounded at this gracious reception, and was about to express 
his gratitude, when the Bermicide began to rub his hands, as 
though some one poured water on them, and invited my brother 
to come and wash with him. No boy apj^eared ; nor was there 
either basin or water ; yet my brother thought he ought not, in 



336 TEA. 

complaisance, to contradict his host ; he came forward, therefore, 
and did as he did. 

" 'Come,' said the Bermicide, ' let us no'>y have supper ; ' and 
though nothing -was brought, he pretended to cut, as if a dish of 
meat was before him, and began to chew, saying to my brother, 
*Eat friend, eat heartily ; you said you were hungry, but you pro- 
ceed as if you had no aj)petite.' Shacabac gave readily in to the 
joke and imitating the Bermicide, ' You see, my lord, I lose no 
time.' ' Boy,' said the old gentleman, * bring us another dish ; 
'come, my good friend, taste of this mutton and barley-broth; 
unless you prefer part of that goose with sweet sauce, vinegar, 
honey, raisins, grey peas, and dry figs ; eat, however, sparingly 
of it, as we have a variety of good things to come.' Shacabac, 
fainting with hunger, pretended to feast heartily on these invisi- 
ble dainties. The Bermicide continued to call for other dishes, 
and boasted much of a lamb fed with pistachio nuts, ' a dish,' 
said he, ' you will find at no table but mine ; let me help you 
to some, and judge if I have not reason to praise it.' My 
brother made as if he received the lamb, and eat it with great 
pleasure. ' Nothing can be more delicious,' said he ; ' your table, 
my lord, abounds with good things.' ' Eat heartily, then,' said 
the Bermicide ; ' you cannot oblige me more ! ' ' You see, my 
lord,' replied my brother, ' how I testify my approbation.' 

" An imaginary dessert succeeded. The Bermicide did not 
fail to recommend the several fruits and confections. Shacabac 
extolled them yet more ; till, tired of moving his jaws, and having 
nothing to eat, he declared he could eat no more. 

" 'Let us drink, then,' said the Bermicide, ' bring some wine.' 
' Excuse me, my lord, I will drink no wine, because it is forbid- 
den.' ' You are too scrupulous,' replied the host, ' you must not 
refuse to keep me company.' ' I cannot refuse your lordship,' 
replied my brother, ' but must entreat you not to urge the glass, 
for I am not accustomed to wine, and fear lest it should betray 



VARIOUS SUPPERS, FETES, ETC. 337 



me into any thing like disrespect to you.' ' Wine here,' called 
out the Bermicide ; then holding out his hand, as if to receive 
the bottle, he turned to my brother, and seemed to fill him a glass, 
and himself another. Shaeabac made as if he took up the glass, 
and bowing very low, he drank the health of his host. The 
Bermicide continued to supply his guest with imaginary bumpers, 
till at length, my brother (weary of the joke, and beginning to 
get a little out of humor) affected to be drunk, got up from his 
seat, and gave the Bermicide so hearty a box on the ear, that he 
knocked him down. He was about to repeat the blow, but the 
old gentleman calling out, he pretended to come to himself. ' You 
have been so good, my lord,' said he, ' to admit your slave to 
your table, and to give him a noble treat ; but you should not 
have tempted him with wine ; as I told you, I feared it would 
cause me to misbehave, which I am exceedingly sorry it has 
done.' 

" The Bermicide, instead of being in a rage, laughed heartily. 
' I have long wished,' said he, ' for a man of your character ; but 
come, we will now sup in good earnest.' Saying this, he clapped 
his hands, and the servants appearing, he ordered supper, and the 
several dishes they had tasted of in fancy, were really set before 
them. The old gentleman, finding my brother a man of good 
understanding, as well as of much pleasantry, retained him in his 
service. For twenty years Shaeabac lived happy in his protec- 
tion." — Arabian Nights' Entertainments. 

To those of our readers who have taken with us a friendly 
Breakfast, or sat down with our circle of guests to Dinner, or 
gathered around the social Tea, we have a few words to say in 
parting. We have brought together for your entertainment, the 
products of the East and West, the North and South ; and have 
prepared and set them before you, hoping that you would partake 
of them with the same spirit of love and courtesy with which we 
22 



338 TEA. 

have offered them. We have provided net only for the gratification 
of the palate, hut of the imagination and the memory, by recalling 
the associations which the various dishes convey, of foreign climes 
and people, of past races, and of the illustrious dead. In a 
■svork so miscellaneous, and arranged for many different tastes, it 
would be hardly possible that any one should be pleased with the 
whole, but if it contain something to suit each reader, the end 
will be answered. In the lane:ua2:e of a distino-uished American 
writer : — " Few guests sit down to a varied table with an equal 
appetite for every dish. One has an elegant horror of a roasted 
pig ; another holds a curry or a devil in utter abomination ; a 
third cannot tolerate the ancient flavor of venison and wild fowl ; 
and a fourth, of truly masculine stomach, looks with sovereign 
contempt on those knicknacks, here and there dished up for the 
ladies. Thus each article is condemned in its turn ; and yet, 
amidst this variety of appetites, seldom does a dish go away from 
the table without being tasted and relished by some one or other 
of the guests." We shall be gratified if it shall have been our 
good fortune to have produced such a result ; and more than 
gratified if we have amused one solitary hour, aided one house- 
keeper in her arduous labors, or given dignity and honor to the 
numerous ofiices which devolve upon the mistress of a household. 
The pleasures, the pursuits, and the pride of men, are short- 
lived and fleeting ; and we might indulge a momentary sadness 
on the vanity of all things earthly, — but we will not imitate, 
even in fancy, the strange conceit of that ancient people, the 
Egyptians, who at the close of their feasts, passed a skeleton 
round the table to admonish and improve the guests. 



THE END. 



INDEX. 



A.bJ^'Jsinlan dinner. 261 

Air-tii,'lit ciiiis, directions fur 814 

Alexander the Great, suj»pcrs of 3'25 

Alexander and tiie queen of Caria 40 

Almond cake SOS 

• cream 194 

puddins 190 

American breakfasts T 

cooks 5S 

Anchovy 101 

sauce yr 

Ancient brexikfiists 4 

Angler's breakfasts 4 

Ante-suppers 327 

Antony Mark, cooks of 4S 

feasts of 325 

Ants' eggs 255 

Apple bread 10 

dessert-cake 192 

dumplings 182 

Florentine 202 

jelly 197 

jelly, dried 201 

pie 174 

puddings, baked 186, 1S7 

puddings, extempore 193 

Apples, customs with 202 

sweet, pickled 151 

Arab cakes 20 

Arab dishes 258 

Arabian hospitality, instance of 79 

Arctic regions, food of 204 

Ariamnes' hospitality 222 

Artichokes 1'3S 

Asinus 237 

Asparagus 13S 

Athenian cooks 40 

dishes 245 

entertainments 243 

practices 243 

Athol's, Earl of, entertainment to James 

V 271 



B 



Bacon, a flitcli of 125 

in Spain 235 

Balichung 256 

Bannocks 27 

Banquet for Archbishop "Warham 267 

of Diomed 238 

to La Fay ctte iiSl 

Banqueting-rooms of Lucullus 05 

of JS ero 65 

Bnrley bread 19 

JJaron of beef 100 

Batter puddings 187, 188 

Beans, stringed 141 

Lima, for winter use 141 

Beau Brummel, a saying of 84 

Biche-de-mer 257 

Beef, the baron of 106 

boiled corned 121 

curing I'il 

roast 105, 20S 

sirloin of 106 

soup 84 

Beef steak club 32 

to cook 32 

Welsh mode of serving 83 

Beefs tongue, to cure 126 

Beer, ginger 158 

Beets, pickled 152 

Bellew Capt. on " tamarind fish " Kil 

Bell, pancake 22 

Berlin, dinner in 230 

Bermicide, feast of the 835 

Berry pies 177 

Bewitched, veal 35 

Birds, in a "pye" : 129 

nests, for soup 257 

Biscuit, Indian corn 24 

morning 20 

meat 35 

soda 303, 304 

strawberry 304 

Bishop Hall respecting his meals 44 



340 



INDEX. 



Blackberries preserved 816 

Blackberry pudding ISl 

Black cake 809 

pudding 218 

Blanc-mangc, potato 19G 

Blessington's Lady, powers of enter- 
taining T4 

Boar's bead at Cbristmas 20(j 

Boiled cabbage ". 140 

calf s head I'iO 

chicken US 

corned beef I'-i 1 

fish yo 

liam 123 

lamb or mutton 125 

meats 120 

pork 122 

puddings 179 

turkey 118 

Boswell and Johnson on conversation 

at table TO 

Botargo 100 

Bottled currants 821 

gooseberri(!S 821 

Bowl, immense punch 104 

Bread, apple 19 

barley, trial by ordeal 19 

corn 21 

" flat " of the Norwegians 20 

Indian IS 

jjotato 19 

lUiode-Island corn 19 

rice 19 

rye and Indian IS 

stale, to freshen 17 

steamed IS 

wheaten, to make 16 

and butter i)udding 192 

and salt to Itussian emperors 20 

Bread-fruit tree 20 

Breakfast, call to 43 

Cowper's lines on 9 

Dr. Tobias Venner on 4 

Duke of Northumberland's 5 

in England, Willis on 6 

hour 8 

Isaac Walton on the Angler's 4 

laid 42 

Lord Fairfax's orders respecting . . 5 

Montgomery on 3 

Pepys 5 

Queen Elizabeth's 5 

roses at 7 

Breakfast-cakes 21 

Breakfast-parties, invitations to 7 

Macaulay on 6 

Miss Sedgwick on 6 

Mrs. II. B. Stow e on 

and Samuel llogers 5 

Breakfasts in America 7 

in Germany 229 

ancient 4 

Scottish 7 

old English 5 



Bream 92 

Bristol milk 161 

Brochan 217 

Broiled chicken 86 

fish 36 

fish, Indian mode 87 

ham with eggs 84 

oysters 88 

pigeons 84 

voal 88 

Brooch of queen Elizabeth 39 

Brose 217 

Buckingham, the duke of, and the 

dwarf 129 

Buckwheat cakes 23 

"Bull heads" 91 

Bulwer 238 

Burleigh Lord, on hospitality 79 

Burmese dish, favorite 259 

Burns' poem to the haggis 218 

Butter, Arabian fondness for 30 

clarified 30 

how kept fresh in India • 30 

Orange County 2T 

to preserve a firkin of 80 

to restore rancid 30 

used among the llomans 30 

Butter-making charm 29 

Buttered ale 161 

toast 26 

Butternuts, pickled 15:3 

Buyd ur 29 

Byron Lord, caprice of 71 

on cott'ee 9 



C 



Cabbage boiled 140 

on a monument 139 

palm 189 

pickled 153 

the 189 

C.t'sar Julius, anecdote of 325 

Cafe, au lait 13 

d la cremefrappe de glace 13 

Cake, almond 308 

apple dessert 1 92 

black 3U9 

cocoanut 307 

cream 310 

cup 307 

delicate 806 

drop 309 

federal 306 

gin-er 809 

golden 306 

iioe 25 

jelly 307 

lemon 306 

loaf 309 

mountain 307 

Mrs. Grundy's society 311 

Nelly 808 



INDEX. 



341 



oatmeal 27 

plain 307 

pound 305, 30S 

raisin 3U8 

ricli fruit 3<)5 

silver 300 

soda 310 

sponge 305 

steamed johuny 25 

tea 809 

without egirs.- 307 

Cakes, Arab. .TT 26 

breakfast 21 

buckwheat 23 

corn 22 

srreen corn 135 

■(Missouri corn 24 

nice johnny 25 

rice or hominy griddle 23 

rye drop o04 

rve and Indian griddle 24 

S'iblett 310 

sour milk griddle 23 

tea ginger 812 

Calf s-foot ieliy 200 

head, boiled 120 

Cailipeva, tJie 37 

Call to breakfast 4^i 

Camacho's wedding feast 290 

Cannibalism 205 

Cans, self-sealing 314 

Caprice of L<>rd"j5}u-on 71 

Cardinal Fesch, anecdote of 102 

Careme, a habit of. . ". . . . 52 

Carlisle's, Earl of, ante-suppers 327 

Carlton House, fete at 331 

Carp 91 

Carte or bill of fare 209 

Carving 131 

CaulillJwer 139, 152 

Caviar, how prepared lOO 

Cedric's evening meal 332 

Celery 142 

Cervantes description of a wedding feast 290 

Chantisa 40 

Charles I., entertainments of 327 

II. as cook 54 

coronation dinner of 27s 

and Grammont 123 

v., attention to the ineujory of a 

cook 50 

XII. of Sweden, anecdote of 2o 

Charlotte de Itusse 195 

Spanish 190 

Charm, butter making 29 

Cheese, liver 30 

Cherries, pickled 151 

preserved 310 

drink made from 15S 

Cherry pie 177 

Chestnuts for food 242 

Chicory in coffee, to detect 11 

root, how prepared 12 

topers 12 



Chicken, boiled lis 

broiled ^(i 

fricasseed 13o 

jelly 201 

pie 127 

roast ilG 

salad 149 

soup SO 

Cliild Mrs., on Athenian customs 248 

Chinese food 25S 

Chocolate, substitutes for 14 

prepared 14 

Chou-choic 250 

(Chowder, to make 99 

Christina of Sweden, collation given to 828 

Christmas pie, account of a 127 

Chub, Walton's rule for dressing 94 

Churning 28 

Citron preserved 819 

Cleopatra's costly drink 157 

feasts to Antony 325 

Clove tree 155 

Club, the beef-steak 32 

Kit-Kat 107 

Coach, Sir Samuel Moreland's 84 

Cocaigne.. 812 

Cocoa 14 

Cocoanut cake 307 

for dessert 195 

pies 175 

pudding , 188 

Coffee, Byron on 9 

chocolate and tea, Francesco liedi 

on 15 

dandelion 18 

for the daughters of Louis XV 11 

first use of 9 

growth of 9 

introduction into England of 9 

houses, in Paris and London , 10 

how prepared 12 

how prepared in Germany and 

France 13 

Tope fond of 11 

Sir Ikjiry Blount on 9 

substitutes for 11 

tree, the leaf of the 11 

varieties of 12 

Collation, May-day 328 

Comfit bo.\es 203 

Commons 109 

Conclusion 837 

Conde, Prince de, cooking an omelette 55 

Congrio, Diomed's cook 239 

Contest between cooks 51 

Conversation at table 70 

" Cook, accomplished " 129 

Diomed's 239 

Pejjys in search of a 72 

Weston, the 69 

Cookery, masterpiece of. 114 

writers on 52 

Cookies, Oxford 811 

Katie's 813 



342 



INDEX. 



minute 812 

molasses 312 

Cooking in the Crimean ^var 55 

andoating in tlie Paciflc islands. . . 203 

meat in hot climates lul 

Cooks in America 53 

among the Greeks 46 

la Mark Antony's kitchen 48 

names, the king's dislies marked 

with r. 89 

of Napoleon I 49 

rewards given to 50 

trials of 48 

Cook's triumph over veal, a 108 

Corn bread, excellent 21 

bread, llhode Island 19 

cakes 22,24 

cakes, green 135 

dried for winter use 135 

dumplings, green 136 

for boiling 135 

oysters 136 

parched 136 

puddings 183, 188 

.starch pudding 187 

Coronation custom in Kussia 20 

dinner of Anne Boleyn 20S 

dinner of Charles 11 278 

feast of Henry Vth's queen 206 

Country tea-table, Dutch 300 

Courses at IJouuin dinners 236 

for modern dinners 74 

Courtiers, effect of pies on 128 

Coverpane 127 

Cowper, lines from 9, 299 

Crabs 92, 253 

Crabapple jelly 198 

Cranberry jelly 198 

Crane . . .'. 205 

Cream, almond 194 

Bohemian 194 

cake 310 

curds and 194 

ice 194, 195 

Isabella : 193 

lemon 195 

snow rice 193 

Avhite 194 

Crimea, cooking at the liospitals of the 55 

Cross-buns, hot 27 

Cucumbers fried 142 

pickled 151 

Cup cake 807 

Cup, drinking 162 

Gen. Jackson's 104 

" loving " the 165 

llobert Burns' 104 

" stirrup " 164 

Curds and cream 194 

Curing beef, for 121 

beef's tongue 126 

hams 124 

mutton 125 

Currant jellies 199, 200 



pie 17a 

wine 15C 

Currants, bottled 821 

preserved 318 

why so called 200 

Curry and rice 254 

Cussv, M. de, saving of 69 

Custard '. . . T 196 

pie 175 

quaking 168 

D 

Dandelion coft'eo 13 

Dandelions 141 

Date-palm, the 184 

or prune pudding 1S4 

De Cussy M. on cookery 52 

De Stael, Madame 280 

Delicate cake 306 

Dessert at a banquet for an archbishop 268 

of the Countess of Salisbury 170 

Desserts of the olden time 166 

Devices in sugar 169, 170 

Dilligrout 50 

Dining out, Moore's 120 

well 62 

Dining-halls 65 

Dining-tables 67 

Dinner in Abyssinia 201 

considered 61 

at coronation of Anne Boleyn 26S 

at coronation of Charles II 278 

at coronation of Henry Y's queen 266 

courses for 74 

courses at a Koman 236 

four Irish kings at 221 

hour 64 

invitation to, by Thomas Moore. . . S2 

of James I. to an ambassador 274 

master late at 116 

at Moliere's 276 

of the New Year 292 

in a nobleman's household 209 

with a Parsee 254 

in Persia 251 

Ilev. Sydney Smith's account of a.. 287 

at Sheridan's 280 

of Sir Kichard Steele, a 279 

Dinner-party 68 

Dinners badly prepared ". 63 

in Circassia 250 

of form 70 

of Gen. Urquiza 289 

in Hamburg and Berlin 229 

of Montezuma 270 

of Napoleon and Josephine 281 

of Pepys 210 

of policv 62 

of Queen Elizabeth 273 

liussian 247 

of Talleyrand 282 

in Turkey 249 

of various persons 260 



of Washington in camp 2S3 

of Washington wliile i'rcsident.. . 284 

Diomed's banquet 2;3S 

Dish, Burmese 25G 

Dishes of the Arabs 253 

Chinese 256 

favorite in old England 205 

favorite of Dr. Johnson 122 

I'avorite lloman 237 

favorite in Scotland 21S 

French 227 

at a marriage feast 2()5 

of Itoman emperors 23S 

Eussian 247 

Dishes, Spanish 234 

Swedish national 24U 

D'Israeli on customs of Guelphs and 

Ghibellines 81 

Dog, the, as food 258 

Dogs for turnspits 1"T 

Dormouse 237 

Downing on Lima beans 141 

Drink, (jleopatra's costly 157 

Drinking-cups 1<J2 

Drinks 1J>5 

elfect of climate on 159 

Oxford ICO 

Drop cakes 3U4, 301) 

Duchess of Sutherland's, lunch at 64 

Ducks, roast 118 

Duke of Marlborough's cook 51 

of Northumberland's breakfast 5 

Dumplings, apple 1S2 

green corn 13G 

Dwaif in a " pye " 12D 



Eager talkers 69 

Ease in a host and hostess 73 

Edgcworth Maria, practice of 7 

Eel, the 91 

the, to cook 39 

Egg-flip or posset 160 

plant 144 

sauce 97 

Eggs, ants' 255 

colored 42 

to detect poor 40 

of the ostrich 42 

pickled 154 

Elderberry wine 157 

English breakfasts, old 5 

breakfast-parties 6 

dining-halls 65 

living, old 204 

meals in the thirteenth and four- 
teenth centuries 5 

mutton sausages 33 

puddings , . .180, 181 

Entertainment of a British otlicer, by 

Gen. Marion 286 

French 222 



to James I., Earl of Athol's 271 

a pie at an. 129 

sugar- work at an 167 

Entertainments of the Athenians 243 

of Charles 1 327 

Highland 216 

of the Japanese 259 

Escurial, the 34 

Evening meal of Cedric 332 

Eve's repast to the angel 78 

Ewerer, the 275 

Exertions of American ladies 73 

Experienced servants 72 



Fairfax Lord, orders of 5, 209 

Fare, bill of 209 

in Shakspeare's time 2t>8 

Farina pie 175 

I)udding 189 

Feast of the Bermicide 335 

Camacho's wedding 290 

of Earl of Leicester at Utrecht 272 

in the Lay of the Niebelungen 233 

Number of dishes at a 2o5 

at Queen Katherine's coronation.. 266 

at Versailles, Louis XI Vth's 276 

Feasting of Vitellius 23S 

Feasts at funerals 215 

of the old Irish 222 

Federal cake 306 

Ferns boiled 138 

Festivities at Bel voir castle 161 

Fete at Carlton House 831 

Fetes at York House 827 

Fish 90 

baked 1<I2 

banquet 267 

boiled 96 

broiled 36 

broiled, Indian mode 37 

as cooked two hundred years ago.. 93 

dinners 274 

Egyptian and Syrian dread of 103 

in favor with the Komans 237 

fried 40 

maws 100 

I'hilip II. on eating 9S 

sauces 97 

ways of preserving 87 

women of Paris 1('3 

Fishing, Dr. Paley on 98 

" Flat brod " of the Norwegians 20 

Florentine, apple 202 

Flour, Mrs. Partington on 17 

Flummerj^ 1^95 

Foix. Count de, suppers of 326 

Food of tlie Arctic regions 264 

in Ital\', articles of. 242 

for the poor at Dublin 55 

savaire 265 

Ford on Spanish dishes 284 



Forks, prejudice against 81 

of Queen Elizabetli 31 

and Tom Coryate 81 

Fountains of Avine 158 

Francesco Redi on coffee, chocolate and 

tea 15 

■\vine 155 

Frencli dishes 227 

entertainment 22'2 

rule for making chocolate 14 

Fricasseed chickens 130 

Fried cucumbers 1-12 

fish 40 

oyster plant 142 

03'sters S8 

Frogs, the consumption of 8S, 224 

to cook 39 

Froissart on suppers of Count de Foix 32G 

Fruit cake 305 

i'ruits in Henry Ylllth's time 821 

Thomson on 166, 822 

Avhence obtained 321 

Funeral feasts 215 

a 

Garlic 187 

Gastronomy, writers on 52 

Gauls, cooking of the 223 

hospitality of the 222 

Geotfrin, Madame, "soupers "of 328 

George II. and his cook Weston S9 

German hospitality, old 232 

mode of cooking a goose 117 

preparing chocolate 15 

preparing coffee 13 

practice Avith tea 803 

Germans, table habits of the 229 

Ghee 30 

Ginger Beer 15S 

cakes 809, 81 2 

nuts 312 

Gipsoy's pudding 1S7 

Giuncata .' 242 

Golden cake 306 

Gold and silver salvers 20 

Goose at Michaelmas 206 

pickled 35 

roast 117 

Gooseberries bottled 821 

preserved 316 

Gooseberrj^ jno 1 "S 

pie, ode to 1 7S 

pudding l!^il 

wine 156 

" Grace of God," the 34 

at table 44 

Grampus 92 

Grape jelly 198 

Grapes preserved 316 

Grasshoppers 2t> > 

Grecian customs 248 

Gridirons 34 



Griddle-cakes, rye and Indian 24 

sour milk 23 

Grundy's Mrs. society cake 811 

Guelphs and Ghibelllnes 31 

Guests, humors of 70 

selection of 69 

Swift's reckoning with 330 

Guisado, Spanish 235 

Gumbo soup 85 

11 

Habit respecting meals 44 

Haddocks boiled 100 

tradition respecting lOO 

Haggis 218 

"receipt for a 219 

Ham, to boil a 122 

and eggs 84 

Hams, to "cure 124 

Spanish 235 

Hancock's John, coolness 74 

Hard wicke Lady 63 

liar vest supper 822 

Heads, singed sheep's 218 

Hedge-hog. 2-31 

Heliogabulus, favorite dishes of 133 

Hen, an artitieial 129 

Ilenrv I's death, cause of. 89 

Ylllth's rewards for certain dishes 50 

Herring pie *. 95 

tradition respecting 96 

Herrings 91 

Hertford's, the Earl of, entertainment 167 

Higdom 155 

Highland toasts 165 

Hindoo meal 254 

Hoe-cake 25 

Hogs fed on nuts 124 

Hominv puddings 190 

Horse-flesh : 226 

Hospitality of the Gauls 222 

illustrated 78 

an instance of Arabian 79 

Lord Burleigh on 79 

old German 232 

of Pdchard 1 205 

of the Scotch 214 

Spanish 233 

vulgar 80 

Host and hostess, ease of 7;^ 

Host cross-buns 27 

Hour for breakfast 8 

for dining 64 

Howard's Mrs. dinner of policy 62 

Humors of guests 70 

Hue M. theuse of ferns by 138 

I 

lee-cream 194, 195 

Imperial 159 



INDEX. 



345 



Indian bread 18 

corn 135 

corn biscuit 24 

pancakes 23 

pudding: 1B4 

Inscription at Trollliatlic 16 

Introduction of coffee into England.. . 9 

Invitation to dinner 82 

Ipocras 1 <)1 

Irish customs 221 

kings at dinner 221 

old, coshering feasts of the 222 

Irving on Dutch tea-tables 300 



James I"s dinner to an ambassador 1.'74 

Japanese banquet 2G0 

dishes 2i^^ 

Jellies ; 197 

apple 197 

apple, dried 201 

caifs foot 200 

chicken 201 

crab-ai)ple 19S 

cranberry 19S 

currant 199, 200 

grape 198 

lour fruit 198 

wine 201, 202 

Jelly cake 307 

pie 174 

pudding 192 

Jessie's corn pudding 1S3 

Jester, Wainba, ihe 334 

Johnny cake 25 

Johnson, Dr., on ill-cooked dinners 63 

favorite dishes of. 123 

fond of berries 310 

on his last dinner at Mrs. Thrale's 126 

on conversation at table 70 

on orange pudding 192 

on tea 302 

on vulgar hospitality 80 



K 



Kale 140 

Kane, Dr., on virtues of tea 302 

on the walrus 265 

Kate's cookies 312 

Khan of Tartary 136 

King's dishes marked with the cooks' 

names 89 

Kirchwaaser 1 .58 

Kisses 197 

Kit-Kat club, the 107 

Knives and spoons, as used by Guelphs 

and Ghibellines 31 

Knowledge of cookery 54 

Kohl-rabis 140 

Krullers 313 



L 

Lady Blessington 74 

r>ustle\s pud<ling 192 

Ilardvvicke 03 

Mary \V. Montague 62 

Sidney and the boar-pies 12S 

Suffolk 62 

La Fayette, banquet to 33) 

Lamb, Charles, on rejoicinss of the New 

Year V 292 

on roast pig 110 

Lamb, boiled 125 

cooked by the Arabs 253 

soup 86 

" Lamb's wool " 161 

Lamprey, stewed 39 

Larding 104 

Leaf of the coffee-tree 11 

Legend respecting oyster-eating 99 

Leicester's, Earl of, feast at Utrecht.. . 272 

Leigh Hunt on breakfast 42 

Lemon cake 806 

cream 195 

kisses 197 

pudding 191 

water.. 160 

Lettuce, dressed 148 

Liver cheese 36 

of the walrus 265 

Loach 91 

Loaf cake 309 

Lobsters 98 

Lobster-salad 149 

sauce 97 

Locusts, fried 256 

Lord Burleigh on hospitality 79 

Fairfax's orders to his servants. ..5, 209 

Lovat 216 

Louis Xlth of France and the turnspit 105 

XlVth's feast at Versailles 276 

XI Vth's meals 275 

X V'th's dauirhters, cott'ee for 11 

Lovat, Lord . . . ." 216 

Lucullus' banqueting-rooms 65 

Luncheon 64 

in Germany 229 

Lut-fisk 249 

Luttrell on veal soup S5 

M 

Macaroni 145 

Macaroons 202, 203 

Macaulay on bre.akfixst parties 6 

MacDonald at table 216 

Mangoes 1 54 

" Marchpane " 107 

Maraschino 158 

Marion's Gen. entertainment of a Brit- 
ish officer 2S6 

Mark Antony's gift to a Hoiiian cook. . .'»'• 

Master-piece of cookery in 1661 1'.4 

Mayday collation to Christina of Sweden 028 




Mead ICl 

Meal, barley 1 "^ 

cveniii'r, of Cediic 882 

oat.... 20 

rye IS 

wheat . . IS 

Meals in England in tliirteenth and 

fourteentli centuries T) 

of LoMis XI Vtli 275 

of t^parta, public 245 

Meat biscuit o5 

boiled 120 

cooked in hot climates 107 

roastinar or baking 104 

Meats ". -'2 

Melons prepared like egg-plant 144 

Mel-supper 828 

Menzikotf, a pastry cook 1~7 

Metheglin 1 '>J5 

Milk toast 2<J 

Mince pie 1^2 

'■ pye," odo to 1 78 

Minerva, Teleniachus' reception of 7i) 

" Minerva's target" 287, 28S 

Minute cookies 812 

Mock turtle soup ^' 

Mohalleby 241) 

Molasses cookies 8|2 

Molierc's, a dinner at • 27(5 

Monk, the, and I'irkheiuier 824 

Montague, Ladv Mary Wortlcy <>2 

Montezuma at table 270 

Montgomery on breakfast 8 

Moore's dining out 120 

invitation to Lord Lansdowne ^2 

Morat 1(51 

More, Sir Thomas, on feasting 324 

!^[or(■land, Sir Sainuel ^'^4 

Morier on Persian customs : 251 

Moriung biscuit 20 

" Mornings " at the poet llogers 

Motto at Newstead Abbey 810 

Mouldy bread, anecdote of 20 

Mountain cake 8o7 

Mutliiis '28 

soda 24 

]\rti]lct 287 

Mushrooms 144 

Mustard 147 

and cress 14s 

Mutton, to cure and boil ]'-'5 

chop 88 

roast 107 

sausages 88 

N 

Napitleon Tst and his cooks 49 

and Josephine at dinner 2^1 

Nasturtiums pickled 158 

National ])references, Southcy on 7 

Neul on ("liinese dishes 25(1 

on Siamese customs 25") 



Nelly cake SOS 

Nero's golden house fin 

Nests, birds' 257 

Newstead Abbey, motto at 810 

JVeiv Y^ar'fi dinner to all the Days 2!)2 

Nightingales 288 

Nudels for soup R4 

Nutmeg 811 

Nuts, ginger 812 

O 

Oatmeal cake 27 

Odo to gooseberry pie, Southey's 17.S 

to mince pie 178 

Oflficers at the king's table 127 

Okra 85 

Olecokes 818 

Olive groves 80 

(Via podrida 284 

Omelette, M. Soyer's 41 

Prince de Conde's 55 

Spanish 285 

Onions 187 

pickled 15.3 

Opening of English coffee-houses 10 

Orange county butter 27 

puddings 191, 102 

wine KU 

Oranges preserved 320 

Ordeal, trial by 19 

Orders of Lord Fairfax to his servants 5, 209 

Oscanyon on Turkish customs 249 

Ostrich cffgs 42 

Oyster pies 98, 99 

soup 86 

broiled 88 

corn 18(5 

fried 88 

Ici^'end respecting 90 

pickled 88 

scolloped 98 

Oxford cookies 811 

P 

Palev, Dr., on fishing 98 

Pancake P.ell 22 

Pancakes on Shrove Tuesday 22 

Kiiode Island 22 

Indian 28 

Parisian coffee houses 10 

Parties, breakfast 6 

at dinner 03 

Parsee customs 254 

Parsnips 141 

wine 157 

I*artridi,'es 119 

Paste, putf. 170 

Pastry 228 

of the olden time 1(50 

Patent tea-cakes SOJ 



INDEX. 



347 



Putes (\e fuies gras 117 

roach pic 177 

Peaches, pickled 150 

preserved 310 

Peacock, the 205 

"enkakyll" 20(5 

anion;; the Itomans 287 

Pears, boiled 321 

j)ickled 151 

preserved 817 

Pea-soup 83 

Peas, to boil 141 

Peininlcan 30 

Pepys' account of a coronation dinner. 278 

breakfast 5 

dinners 210 

search for a cook 72 

Pepper. 1 54 

Perch in 

Perry 101 

Persia, Shah of, at dinner 251 

Peruvian delicacy 40 

Pfciff( r, Madame, on Parsee customs... 254 

Philip lid of Spain on eating lish 0'* 

and the Escurial 84 

Pickles 150 

Pickled apples, sweet 151 

butternuts 153 

beets 152 

cabbage 158 

cauliflower 152 

cherries 151 

cucumbers 151 

eggs 154 

goose 35 

na«turtion8 153 

onions 153 

oysters 88 

peaches 1 50 

pears 151 

plums 151 

sheep's tongues 1 27 

tomatoes 1 54 

■walnuts 1 53 

ies 170 

apple 1 74 

apple, Lord Dudley fond of. 174 

bt-rry 177 

birds in a 129 

boHr 128 

cherry 177 

chicken 127 

Christmas 127 

cocoanut 175 

currant 178 

custard 1 75 

dwarf in a 128 

farina 175 

game 207 

tiooseberry 178 

lierring 95 

jelly.. 174 

mince 172 

mock apple 174 



oyster g^ 

peach 17' 

pigeon 12 ^ 

plum 177 

pumpkiji n^ 

pumi)kin, grated .... nC 

puriii)kin, dried ITJ 

rare 12^ 

rhubarb nS 

snail 225 

squash j 77 

veal 128 

upon courtiers, the effect of 128 

Pigeon pie ] 28 

Pigeons broiled ',].l 

potted 1,30 

Pig, roast no 

roast, dissertation on 110 

roasted by the ancients 123 

Pike, the 90 

Pilau 251 

Piment K51 

Pineapple, preserved 818 

Pirkheimer and the monk 824 

Piroga or fish-cake lol 

J'i teller of Gen. Jackson's 104 

Plain cake 807 

Plum pie 1 77 

pudding ISO 

pudding, green ISl 

puddin;:, jjrejudice against 180 

Plums pickled 151 

preserved 820 

Poissardes of Paris 103 

Polenta 242 

Pollock 100 

Polio con arroz 230 

Pomegranate, the I'jy 

Pope and Dean Swift gyo 

Pope's description of the preparation of 

coffeo 11 

fondness for lampreys 40 

fondness for coffee ] I 

Pork among the ancients , 12". 

among the Scotch 128 

boiled VtL 

baked with beans 114 

toast 114 

to salt and pack 1 24 

Porpoise 92 

Possett, egg 100 

sack 101 

Potato bread 19 

the Irish 133 

puddings, baked 190, 191 

I»udding8, boiled 183 

Potatoes, to cook : 133 

Bweet 184 

"■ with the bone in " 134 

Potted pigeons 130 

shad 87 

Pound cake 305. 808 

Practice of Miss Edgeworth 7 

Prejudice against plum pudding 1^0 



;us 



INDEX. 



Propiiratiou of chocolate 14 

of ootloo V2 

Prosor vos 814 

rrosorvoil blackborrio? 8U) 

ohorrios SUi 

citron 811> 

currants 81S 

goosobcrrios 5Ut> 

grapes 8 U> 

oranges. 8'JO 

poaclics oU5 

poars 817 

pineapples. SIS 

plums 820 

pnmpkin * . . 811' 

quinces 817 

raspberries 8U> 

St rawberries 815 

watermelon 8H> 

PreserviniT tisli 87 

Prunes. 8'20 

riiohero '285 

PuiUlinsrs 170 

almond 190 

ai<l>le (^bakeilt 1S7 

batter ^bakoU 1S7 

batter, Fannie's. ISS 

berrv ISI 

hlacA- '21S 

bread and butter 1S>'2 

boiled I7i» 

cocoamit 1 SS 

corn (boiled'* 1S3 

corn (baked> ISS 

corn stareli 1S7 

cracked wheat 1>1> 

date or prune 1S4 

Euirlish irooseberry ISl 

Kn>rlish plum . . . ." 1^«> 

English rolv-polv 1S8 

farina '.....'. IS!) 

gipsey's 1S7 

iioininv IW 

jelly .: 11>'2 

Jessie's corn 1 S;> 

King Arthur's IS'2 

lemon liU 

orange 191, 192 

PciTsrv's laniilv ISS 

plum". ; 208 

l>otato (boiled^* 1S8 

potato i^baked) 190, 191 

pumpkin 191 

rice 1S9 

rich boiled Indian 1 S4 

sago lSr> 

sago apple ISO 

tapioca ISo 

tapioca apple lSi5 

PulTets 175 

Pntl-paste 170 

Pumpkin pies 17(i 

l>reser ved 819 

pudding 191 



Punch 161 

Punch bowl ItU 

Puppies, the flesh of. '287 

Pyramids at a dessert .. IGS 



Queen Anne, (Boleyn,) coronation din- 
ner of '2t.>S 

of (.'aria's iritY to .Vlexander 4(1 

Kli/abetii. breakfast of 5 

Kli/.abetli. brooch of 89 

Kli/abetli, dinners of 278 

Elizabeth, forks of 81 

Elizabeth, s^ir IJobcrt Sidney and. . 1'2S 

Katharine's feast '2(5(5 

Quinces, baked 820 

preserved 817 

11 

Paisin cake 808 

Paisins 80S 

Paspberries preserved 81(5 

Kaspberry, the 159 

pudding ISl 

wine 157 

Rat-soup '25S 

Pebecca's skill in cooking 45 

Pecette de la Fondue. . 40 

Pt'cei>ti()ns. evening 801 

Pevui'ltas de hnevos '285 

Pewartls to cooks 50 

Khode- Island corn bread 19 

pancakes 22 

Phubarb pie 17S 

Pice 145.-251 

bread 19 

or hominv griddle-cakes '28 

puddinsrs'. 1S9 

Pichard 1st, tho servants of. '205 

Picotta "242 

Pivalrv of cooks 51 

Poast beef 105 

chickens 1U> 

ducks 1 bS 

goose 117 

mutton 107 

piiT 110 

pork 114 

turkev 115 

veal.! • lOS 

venison 10(> 

Poe 100 

Pogers and breakfast parties 5 

lloman customs 286 

empiM'ors. favorite dishes of *28S 

Poqnes, M. receipt for cafe 18 

Poses at breakfast 7 

Pushes upon floors 65 

Pusk 804 

liussian cook, the '24S 



custom at coronations 20 

dinners 247 

dishes 247 

]»iro{ra or jisli-cake 101 

Rye droj* cal<os '304 

and Indian broad "i^ 

and Indian I'riddie-cakcs 24 



9ack-posset 161 

Sago-palm 1S5 

puddiniis 185, ISO 

Salad, chicken ... WJ 

lobster 149 

sauce 148 

Itoman jjcasant's ^V) 

Kpanish mode of dressing, 147 

Sydney ttriiitirs rule for 140 

Sail V Luim . . ; 810 

Sahlion, the 1*0 

Salsify, fried 142 

toast 142 

Salt 127, 273 

Salvers, gold and silver 20 

Sancho I'anza, saying of. l-W 

at a we<l(li ng feast 290 

Sardine, the : 101 

Sauce, anchovy 97 

egg 97 

fish 97 

lobster 97 

salad 148 

fthrirnj* 97 

Spanish 118 

tomato 14ii 

Sausages, to make 83 

English nmtton 88 

Savajin, M., sayings of 52 73, 220 

Savage food 205 

Sayi ng grace 44 

Scolhjped oysters 9s 

Scottish breakfasts 7 

dislike of pork 128 

hospitality 214 

Scott on Saxon manners 882 

on Scottish dislike yf pork 123 

Sea-calf 92 

slugs 257 

wolf. 92 

Secrets, the two 158 

Sedgwick, Miss, on the breakfast party 

on Italian food 242 

Selection of guests 09 

Servants, exi)erienced 71 

of Kichard 1st 205 

Shad, potted 87 

Shukspeare's time, fare in 20S 

Sheep's heads 218 

tongues, to pickle 127 

Sherbets 159, 252 

Sheridan's, dinner at 2">o 

Shrimp sauce 97 



Shrovo Tuesday, pancakes on 22 

Siamese customs 25^ 

Sihlett cakes 810 

Sicilian cooks 40 

Sidney, Lady, and the boar-pi(!S 12S 

Sigourney, Mrs., call to breakfast 4ii 

Silver cake 800 

Sir Ileriry IJlount on coffee 9 

Sirloin of beef, tradition of the 100 

Skill of the ancienis in cooking 40 

in cooking, liebecca's. 45 

of French cooks 52 

Snails 224 

fattening 2-37 

Snipe : 120 

Socrates' habit at public feasts 24^3 

Soda biscuits 808, 804 

cake 810 

muflins 24 

Soup, beef 84 

chicken 86 

gumbo 85 

lamb 86 

mock turtle 87 

nudcls for 84 

oyster 86 

pea 8.8 

turtle 87 

Soupe d Id IJuHHy 86 

" Soupers " of Mad. (ieoffrln 028 

Soutliey on national preferences 7 

on table prepared 203 

ode to gooseberry pie, by 178 

Soyer .M. Alexis 55 

coffee us made by 18 

omelette of 41 

Spanish Charlotte 196 

guisado 2^5 

hams 285 

hospitality 238 

olla podrida 234 

omelettes 2''i5 

Spartan meals 245 

Spinach 141 

Spit, a singular 107 

Sponge for bread 10 

cake 805 

Squashes 187 

Squash pie 177 

Stael, Mad. dc 280 

" Stappit heads " 100 

Steamed bread 18 

iohnny-cake 25 

Steele, Sir Itichard, at dinner 279 

Sterlit 247 

Sterne on venison 107 

Stewed lamprey, lines on 89 

Stowe, Mrs., on breakfast parties 6 

on exertions of American ladies. . , 73 

on lunch in England 64 

Strawberries, Izaak Walton on 815 

and L)r. Johnson 816 

preserved 815 

Strawberry biscuit 804 



350 



INDEX. 



Strickland's, Miss, accoiint of a corona- 
tion dinner 26S 

Subtleties Ifi6 

Succotash 135 

Sugar, devices in 1G9 

plums 193 

Supper, churn or kern 823 

harvest 322 

mcl 823 

Suppers of the Count de Foix 32(5 

Don Quixote's advice respecting.. . 824 

Eev. Sydney Smith's 332 

Surprise-banquet to La Fayette 331 

Swedish dishes 249 

Swift's reckoning with his guests 330 

" Swilled mutton " 2S0 

Sydney Smith, Eev., an ill-fated dinner 

described by 2S7 

suppers of 332 

on talking at dinner 116 

on the tea-kettle 803 

on veal soup 85 

T 

Table habits of the Germans 229 

King Arthur's round C7 

Louis XVth's 67 

Pliny's, in the garden of a villa 67 

Tables, Chinese 67 

Talkers, eager 69 

Talleyrand, M., on cookery 52 

dinners of 2S2 

" Tamarind fish " 101 

Tantalus, thirst of. 160 

Tapioca puddings 1S5, 1S6 

whence obtained 1 86 

Tea considered as a meal 299 

the beverage of 801 

Dr. Johnson on 802 

Dr. Kane on 802 

German practice with 303 

the preparation of 808 

the varieties of 802 

Tea-biscuits and cakes 303 

Tea-cake 309 

patent 804 

Tea-kettle, anecdote of 303 

Tea-table, Dutch country 800 

Telemachus' reception of Minerva 79 

Tench 92 

Theobroma 14 

Thirst of Tantalus 160 

Thomas a Becket's purchase of eels. ... 39 

Thomson on fruits 166, 822 

Toast, buttered 26 

milk 26 

salsify 142 

tomato 143 

Toasts, drinking 165 

Highland 165 

Tomato sauce 143 

toast 148 

for winter use 143 



Tomatoes, pickled 154 

Tongues, to cure 126 

Tortilla 24 

Tree, the bread-fruit 20 

Trial bv ordeal 19 

" Triall of Feasting " 324 

Trials of cooks 48 

Trifle, a Southern 196 

Tripe 35, 218 

Trollhathe, inscription at 10 

Trout 92 

how dressed in 1658 93 

Troy, destruction of. 167 

True hospitality illustrated SO 

Turbots, Cardinal Fesch and the 102 

Turkey, boiled 118 

roasted 115 

Turkish dinners 249 

Turnspit, anecdote of a 105 

Turnspits, dogs as 107 

Turnii.s 137 

Turtle, the 88 

soup 87 

U 

Ude, Louis Eustache, on cookery 53 

U)i rati sans pareil 1 30 

Urquiza, Gen., hospitality of. 287 

V 

Vanity balls 811 

Yatel, the French cook 49 

Veal, bewitched. 35 

broiled 23 

cutlet 109 

roast 108 

■ soup, Sydney Smith on 85 

a triumph over 108 

Vegetables 132 

Venison, baked or roasted 106 

Venner. Dr. Tobias, on breakfast 4 

Vinegar' 140 

raspberr}'. 159 

Vitellius, feasting of 288 

" Voide," the 299 

" Voiding "-knife 66 

Vollmer on turtle soup 87 

Vulgar hospitality SO 

W 

"V^affles 23 

Wager upon eating veal 108 

Wallis on Spanish hospitality 233 

Walnuts, pickled 153 

Walrus, liver of 265 

Walton, Izaak, on the Angler's break- 
fast 4 

receipts for dressing fish by 94 

on strawberries 315 

Want of experienced servants 72 



Warham, Archbishop, banquet for 267 

Washington's dinners in camp 283 

dinners at the presidency 2S4 

Watermelon preserved 319 

Webster, Daniel, and chowder 100 

Welsh mode of serving beef-steak 83 

AVhale, the 92 

Wheat bread, to make 16 

pudding, cracked 189 

Whortleberry wine 15S 

William the Conqueror, anecdote of.. . . 205 

gift to a cook from 50 

Willis on a dinner at Lady Blessing- 

. ton's 74 

on English breakfasts 6 

on '• lunch " 65 

Willoughby on Chinese dishes 257 

Wine, currant, (French) 156 

curran t, black 156 

elderberry. 157 



fountains of 15S 

Francesco Eedi on 155 

gooseberry 156 

jelly 201, 202 

orange lOl 

parsnip 157 

raspberry 157 

whortleberrj' 153 

wormwood 161 

Woman as cook 51 

Wormwood wine 16i 

Writers on cookery and gastronomy. . . 52 



Yams .... 184 

Yeast cakes 17 

of the Gauls 17 

to make 16 



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